IIT Bhubaneswar working on Rational Design of Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Peptides Targeting SARS-CoV2-Spike Protein

The structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein bound to the human ACE2 receptor has recently been solved. Prima facie, the design of peptide-based inhibitor appears to be more suitable than the small molecule-based inhibitor.

The research group of Dr. S. Rana (Chemical Biology Laboratory), School of Basic Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar has undertaken an approach to target SARS-CoV-2 directly with broad spectrum designer peptides, so that (i) the lipid envelop of the virus can be effectively lysed, minimizing the viral load or (ii) the protein-protein interaction between the spike protein of the virus and the host cell ACE2 receptors can be controlled, minimizing the host cell infection.

The computational biology aspect of the project will be conducted through HPC facility of IIT Delhi, which has recently approved the project through a special call for funding the COVID-19 related research.