The global COVID-19 pandemic causing considerable human health and economic impacts presents the research community with a unique set of urgent challenges that need to be addressed. One of the challenges is to slow the transmission of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The goal of this project is to design simple techniques to make protective materials that prevent virus transmission. To achieve this goal, virus particles will be designed to make virus research easier and safer. Materials that will be tested will be coated with readily available plant proteins to prevent virus transmission. These materials will include those used for masks, air conditioning filters, and work surfaces. The plant proteins are also easy to attach to surfaces such as cotton and other natural and synthetic fibers by simply immersing these materials in protein solutions. Models of COVID-19 will be created in two different methods: (1) a virus that normally infects bacteria will be modified to produce the “spike†of SARS-CoV2 on its surface; (2)The spike protein will be inserted into synthetic lipid membrane droplets similar to those coating SARS-CoV2. These two non-pathogenic model viruses will allow widespread research into coronavirus and other emerging viruses without the need for highly protective specialized equipment. Successful completion of this research will inform efforts to protect the public and potentially lead to new effective nature-based protective measures against the spread of SARS-CoV2 and other similarly structured viruses.
SARS-CoV2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19) is a lipid enveloped virus with protruding spike proteins. The structure of the spike protein was recently determined by researchers at the University of Texas. The goal of this proposed research is to evaluate the ability of surfaces functionalized with specific plant-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to bind this spike protein. These AMPs include two proteins obtained from aqueous extracts of the Moringa oleifera seed (MO): a chitin binding protein (MoCBP) and a cationic protein (MO2.1). The central hypotheses of the proposed work are: (i) specific binding of the SARS-CoV2 spike protein receptor binding domain using MoCBP-functionalized surfaces can be used as an effective removal technique, and (ii) MO2.1 on functionalized surfaces will inactivate SARS-CoV2 by damaging the lipid envelope of the virus. Recent simulation and experimental results demonstrate strong interactions of MoCBP with the purified spike protein from SARS-CoV2. To facilitate this research, we will develop a non-pathogenic model of SARS-CoV2 for rapid experimentation without the need for specialized safety equipment. The following tasks will be performed to test hypotheses and achieve the goal of this research: 1) test virus removal efficiency of MO-coated cotton from water and air by using filtration experiments with SARS-CoV2 spike protein and modified T7 bacteriophages displaying the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV2 as surrogates; 2) test the interaction of MO2.1 with the lipid membrane of SARS-CoV2 by using virus-like lipid particles amended with spike protein as virus surrogates to establish removal/inactivation; and 3) test the effectiveness of easily accessible surgical masks and HVAC filters coated with MO proteins in immobilizing SARS-CoV2. Successful completion of this research has great potential to lead to the development of effective technology for removal and protection against SARS-CoV2.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
