The sum of the real-world conditions argues strongly that smallpox could be used as a particularly devastating weapon of bioterrorism. There is an urgent medical and national need to design a novel anti-smallpox therapy and to make it available in addition to the existing preventive measures, to the US population. The comprehensive and integrated """"""""key national priority"""""""" program we are proposing meets directly the stated objectives set forth by RFA AI-03-017 and is focused on a rational structure-based drug design for a smallpox therapy. Our strategies towards developing a smallpox therapy are guided by the development of the only successful and selective anti-viral therapy, the AIDS protease inhibitor """"""""cocktail"""""""". There are only two proteinases (H1L and K7L) encoded by the variola genome, both of which are involved in the processing of viral protein precursors and virion assembly. Our work will generate the first and the only set of protease inhibitors applicable as a rapid response to a smallpox outbreak/attack. The Burnham Institute scientists participating in this effort are uniquely qualified to accomplish the program successfully. Our team includes nationally and internationally known experts on metallo- and cysteine proteinases, internationally recognized structural biologists, and experts on the cutting edge of drug design. We will use several independent, albeit overlapping pipelines, to generate the inhibitors and to ensure the overall success of the program.
Our aims are: (I) to express, purify and characterize the recombinant metalloproteinase H1L and the cysteine proteinase K7L of vaccinia/variola, (lI) to identify optimal peptide substrates for the recombinant proteinases and then to derivatize these substrates into lead peptidic antagonists, (III) to identify drug-like small molecule inhibitors of the variola proteases by screening combinatorial chemical libraries, (IV) to determine, at the atomic resolution level, the structure of the individual H1L and K7L proteases and their structures bound to lead antagonists and optimal peptide substrates, (V) to increase, through iterative rational structure-based drug design, the selectivity, potency, and safety of the selected drug leads, (VI) to examine the efficacy and safety of the drug candidates in vitro and in cell-based assays of vaccinia viral replication. When appropriate benchmarks are met, the drug candidates will be delivered to the government for continued testing and refinement involving the variola virus. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01AI061139-05
Application #
7437421
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAI1-AR-M (M1))
Program Officer
Challberg, Mark D
Project Start
2004-07-01
Project End
2010-06-30
Budget Start
2008-07-01
Budget End
2010-06-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$1,777,074
Indirect Cost
Name
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
020520466
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
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Shiryaev, Sergey A; Cieplak, Piotr; Aleshin, Alexander E et al. (2011) Matrix metalloproteinase proteolysis of the mycobacterial HSP65 protein as a potential source of immunogenic peptides in human tuberculosis. FEBS J 278:3277-86
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Ma, Dongling; Jiang, Dong; Qing, Min et al. (2009) Antiviral effect of interferon lambda against West Nile virus. Antiviral Res 83:53-60
Aleshin, Alexander E; Gramatikova, Svetlana; Hura, Gregory L et al. (2009) Crystal and solution structures of a prokaryotic M16B peptidase: an open and shut case. Structure 17:1465-75
Drag, Marcin; Mikolajczyk, Jowita; Bekes, Miklos et al. (2008) Positional-scanning fluorigenic substrate libraries reveal unexpected specificity determinants of DUBs (deubiquitinating enzymes). Biochem J 415:367-75

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