Project description
Designing antivirals with the help of AI
Nucleocytoviricota viruses, including monkeypox virus and African swine fever virus, are large DNA viruses that pose serious public health issues. These viruses replicate within specialised membrane-less organelles, known as viral factories, which depend on conserved scaffold proteins. Considering the lack of antivirals, the ERC-funded PSDisrupt project proposes to design small molecules that disrupt viral factory formation and inhibit virus replication. Researchers will employ AI to screen large chemical spaces to identify both broad-spectrum and virus-specific inhibitors. Following validation at the biophysical and cellular levels, promising compounds will be brought forward for preclinical development and pharmaceutical partnerships.
Objective
"The phylum Nucleocytoviricota includes (re-)emerging dsDNA viruses of major concern, such as monkeypox virus (mpox) and African swine fever virus (ASFV). Despite their economic and public health impact, no formally approved antivirals exist for these pathogens. Viral factories (membrane-less organelles essential for replication) are highly conserved across Nucleocytoviricota, presenting an attractive and untapped target for antiviral intervention.
PSDisrupt builds on findings from the ERC-funded ViDaMa project, which identified scaffold proteins governing phase separation in viral factories. These proteins share a conserved ""molecular grammar"" essential for condensate formation. Disrupting this process is expected to broadly inhibit viral replication while minimizing the development of resistance.
This PoC project will design phase-separation grammar-targeting antivirals using AI-driven pipelines. Deep learning models will enable the screening of ultra-large chemical spaces to identify: (i) broad-spectrum inhibitors targeting conserved scaffold proteins across Nucleocytoviricota, and/or (ii) virus-specific antivirals for mpox and ASFV.
PSDisrupt’s translational goal is to design and advance lead compounds into preclinical validation and assess their commercial potential. We will:
- Discover and design drugs by leveraging high throughput screens and deep learning-based algorithms.
- Perform biophysical and cellular assays to validate compound efficacy.
- Establish IP protection for novel inhibitors.
- Engage with pharmaceutical and biotech partners for licensing and further development.
By bridging virology and AI-driven drug design, PSDisrupt pioneers a novel antiviral strategy with broad applications beyond infectious diseases. The AI framework could be adapted to target phase separation in diverse pathological conditions, including cancer, neurodegeneration, and other condensate-associated diseases, significantly expanding its biomedical and commercial impact.
"
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences neurobiology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antivirals
You need to log in or register to use this function
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.