An international team of scientists has generated a new protein nanomaterial ring-shaped capable of strongly binding to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and neutralizing it.
The research, carried out by researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (IBB-UAB) and the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina, highlights the versatility of the system designed to design the nanorings, which can integrate therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities and be adapted to combat other viruses.
The new nanomaterial is formed by a scaffold of recombinant ring-shaped proteins (RLP) to which they have incorporated some miniproteins created by the team of experts in a previous study. This structure (RLP-1,3), which contains up to twenty binding points of the miniproteins to the virus, self-assembles into stable, biocompatible and homogeneous nanoparticles that adhere very powerfully to the infective particle of the virus, Spike-ACE2, and neutralize it.
New Nanoparticle’s Virus Binding Activity Outperforms Reference Monoclonal Antibodies and Clinically Approved Hyperimmune Therapies
Salvador Ventura, researcher at IBB-UAB
“The virus-binding activity of the new nanoparticle exceeds reference monoclonal antibodies and clinically approved hyperimmune therapies,” explains Salvador Venturaresearcher at IBB-UAB and director of the Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute (I3PT), who co-led the research. “In addition, we have seen that it can also be adapted for the diagnosis of infection, with a higher level of detection than commercial assays,” he adds.
Miniproteinas with AI
To generate the nanoring, the researchers were inspired by the properties of safe structures present in some viruses. “The result we have obtained demonstrates how integrating nanoscaffolds based on these structures with the design of miniproteins with AI allows us to create next-generation multifunctional biomaterials,” he highlights. Damián Álvarez Paggidirector of the CONICET Nanobioengineering Laboratory.
The system they have designed allows change miniproteins for others of interest to inhibit other viruses. In this way, the nanoring, which has been patented by the UAB and CONICET, offers a solution that allows “plugging in” and “unplugging” new molecules with therapeutic and diagnostic capacity, which positions it as a flexible alternative in the face of infectious outbreaks or pandemics, the researchers conclude.
Reference:
M. Behbahanipour, C. Goldin, C. A. Prato, et al. “Multivalent Protein Nanorings for Broad and Potent SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization”. Adv. Healthcare Mater.
Rights: Creative Commons.
