Description du projet
Développer un médicament universel pour cibler la co-infection virale dans le système nerveux
Le Zika, la dengue, le chikungunya, le VIH et la rougeole font chaque année des milliers de victimes. Ces infections virales du système nerveux central provoquent une déficience neurologique. Le virus Zika, le virus de la dengue et le virus du chikungunya sont transmis principalement par des moustiques du genre Aedes. Le virus Zika peut traverser la barrière hémato-placentaire et, ensuite, la barrière hémato-encéphalique du fœtus, provoquant une microcéphalie chez les nouveau-nés et des troubles neurologiques. Les stratégies actuelles de développement de médicaments ignorent totalement la réalité de la co-infection de ces virus. Le projet NOVIRUSES2BRAIN, financé par l’UE, identifiera et sélectionnera des médicaments universels candidats qui se déplacent jusqu’aux barrières hémato-placentaire et hémato-encéphalique pour cibler ces virus, même pendant la grossesse. Ce projet a une portée internationale grâce à la participation d’experts en chimie médicinale, en biochimie, en virologie et en développement de médicaments. NOVIRUSES2BRAIN vise à créer un médicament qui élimine toutes les espèces virales du cerveau simultanément.
Objectif
Viruses that infect the brain and other parts of the central nervous system are a worldwide threat of terrible dimensions. Viruses such as Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, HIV or measles, for instance, and more recently the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are responsible for thousands of victims severely impaired at neurological level each year in the world. One of the most recent large scale threats in this domain was a Zika virus outbreak in South America. Zika virus, like Dengue virus or Chikungunya virus, is spread mainly by mosquitos of the genus Aedes. While Dengue and Chikungunya viruses, as many others, might causes diseases with severe neurological disorders, Zika virus is much more dreadful in this regard. When a pregnant woman is infected, the virus is able to translocate the blood-placental barrier and then the developing blood-brain barrier of the foetus, causing microcephaly and serious neurological disorders to newly born babies.
Although co-infections with Aedes-borne viruses, such as the above mentioned Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses, are likely because several viral species coexist in the same vector, the classical drug development strategies completely overlook this striking reality. Moreover, additional co-infections with HIV, SARS-CoV-2 and measles virus, using other routes of infection, are also possible. A drug able to target a very large spectrum of viral species is urgently needed.
Importantly, this drug must be able to traverse the blood-brain barrier and reach the viruses accumulated in the brain.
NOVIRUSES2BRAIN is a project that aims at finding and selecting drug leads that are both efficacious and able to translocate the blood-placental and blood-brain barriers so that Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya and other viruses, such as the recently discovered SARS-CoV-2 can be targeted across barriers, including during pregnancy. The project gathers the expertise of medicinal chemists, biochemists, drug development specialists and virologists to create drug leads able to clear all viral species from brain simultaneously.
Champ scientifique
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug discovery
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologyvirology
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusesHIV
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusescoronaviruses
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurology
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinateur
1649 028 Lisboa
Portugal