Descrizione del progetto
Un programma di scoperta di farmaci contro la COVID-19
La pandemia da COVID-19 ha messo in risalto la mancanza di vaccini e medicinali per combattere questo tipo di emergenza sanitaria. Gli scienziati coinvolti nel progetto SCORE, finanziato dall’UE, si sono innanzitutto impegnati a comprendere e bloccare la replicazione del coronavirus, riuscendo a svelare funzioni virali cardine e sviluppando strumenti appositi per effettuare la selezione e l’individuazione di farmaci candidati. Il progetto si svilupperà sulla scia di queste conoscenze per definire un approccio all’avanguardia per la scoperta di farmaci al fine di trovare inibitori attivi contro i ceppi di 2019-nCoV in evoluzione. I ricercatori sottoporranno a verifiche gli antivirali già approvati e ne progetteranno di nuovi per intervenire sull’ingresso del virus all’interno della cellula, la replicazione dell’RNA e la funzione proteica. Si prevede che i risultati preliminari saranno disponibili entro sei-nove mesi in seguito ai quali i composti selezionati verranno trasmessi per lo sviluppo.
Obiettivo
Coronavirus 2019-nCoV has become a worldwide public health emergency, and the lack of vaccines and drugs to immediately address this outbreak is painfully clear. Even if the epidemic can be stopped, the virus may return in the same or a modified form. More than vaccines and therapeutic antibodies, antiviral drugs can target highly conserved viral functions and have the broad-spectrum activity that is critical to combat current and future outbreaks.
Since the 2003 SARS outbreak, as leading academic coronavirus researchers, we have collaborated to understand and inhibit coronavirus replication. We defined viral key functions, developed tools for inhibitor screening, and identified/engineered drug candidates. Until 2015, our collaborative efforts were supported by the FP7 SILVER project, but they have been continued until this very day. As European coronavirus experts, we now propose the SCORE project, supported by a leading pharmaceutical company. Virologists, biochemists, structural biologists, and medicinal chemists will collaborate in a state-of-the-art drug discovery/design program that targets 2019-nCoV. Our vast SARS-CoV-derived expertise and unique toolbox will be a major asset to achieve immediate impact.
We will target the virus using 5 independent approaches: (i) using of (combinations of) FDA-approved drugs, (ii) targeting viral RNA synthesis, (iii) inhibiting coronavirus proteases, (iv) blocking virus entry, (v) discovery and development of new antivirals. This program will be supplemented with 2019-nCoV toolbox and animal model development. We aim to deliver proof-of-concept for selected compounds within 6-9 months, after which they will be offered for further use/development. This will contribute to short-term solutions for the on-going crisis and also pave the way for mid/long-term success in developing inhibitors that will be active against (evolving) 2019-nCoV strains, other SARS-like coronaviruses, and potentially (beta)coronaviruses at large.
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Meccanismo di finanziamento
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinatore
2333 ZA Leiden
Paesi Bassi