Human cells infection by coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) : search for therapeutic strategies

• Grant number: 20/05293-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2020
• End date: June 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi
• Grantee: Ana Marisa Chudzinski-Tavassi
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ana Maria Moro ; Carlos Deocesano-Pereira ; Catarina de Fatima Pereira Teixeira ; Denise Vilarinho Tambourgi ; Dilza Trevisan Silva ; Edison Luiz Durigon ; Glaucia Maria Machado Santelli ; Irina Kerkis ; Isabel de Fátima Correia Batista ; Marcelo Medina de Souza ; Mauricio Barbugiani Goldfeder ; Miryam Paola Alvarez Flores ; Olga Celia Martinez Ibanez ; Renata Nascimento Gomes ; Renato Mancini Astray ; Ricardo Martin Gomez ; Mirta Ana Schattner ; Soraia Attie Calil Jorge ; Viviane Fongaro Botosso
• Associated research grant: 15/50040-4 - Rational approach for searching molecular targets involved in inflammatory events and cell survival, AP.PCPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 20/10847-4 - COVID-19 infection in human cellular models: search for effective therapeutic strategies, BP.PD

Abstract

The Center of Excellence in New Target Discovery (CENTD) is the result of a partnership between the Butantan Institute and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the Pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). It aims to identify and validate new molecular targets and signaling pathways involved in inflammatory diseases. For the identification of these molecular targets, animal venoms, toxins, molecules isolated from different animal secretions, as well as their peptide derivatives are being used. The discovery of new targets and their validation may allow the development of new drugs. There is a new public health crisis that threatens the world with the emergence and spread of the new coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV) or the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease is mild in most people, but in the elderly and individuals with comorbidities, it can progress to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ dysfunction. The lethality rate currently stands at 4%. Treatment is essentially supportive. The role of antiviral agents has not yet been established. Faced with the pandemic situation of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and the competence developed by CENTD, throughout these years of its activity, our team in association with new collaborators from the Viral Biotechnology, Virology and Biopharmaceutical Laboratories of the Butantan Institute, Virology Laboratory of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo and the Institutes of Biotechnology / Molecular Biology and Experimental Medicine at CONICET, Argentina, intends to make efforts to contribute to a better understanding of this disease. Thus, this project aims to evaluate the inflammatory events triggered by SARS-CoV-2, in different cell models (pulmonary epithelial cells, endothelial cells and in human monocytes / macrophages), and their regulation by the use of molecules derived from animal secretions, potentially antiviral drugs, human monoclonal antibodies, as well as mesenchymal stem cells. Such an analysis will be carried out using a multidisciplinary approach that includes classic virology methods, cellular and molecular biology techniques and analyzes of immunological and pharmacological aspects. To identify the possible signaling pathways involved, additional approaches will be applied, including the use of specific pathway agonists or inhibitors. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE MELO, THATIANA CORREA; TREVISAN-SILVA, DILZA; ALVAREZ-FLORES, MIRYAM P.; GOMES, RENATA NASCIMENTO; DE SOUZA, MARCELO MEDINA; VALERIO, HELLEN PAULA; OLIVEIRA, DOUGLAS S.; DEOCESANO-PEREIRA, CARLOS; BOTOSSO, VIVIANE FONGARO; CALIL JORGE, SORAIA ATTIE; et al. Proteomic Analysis Identifies Molecular Players and Biological Processes Specific to SARS-CoV-2 Exposure in Endothelial Cells. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 23, n. 18, p. 17-pg., 2022-09-01. (20/10847-4, 20/05293-0, 20/13139-0)

BOTOSSO, VIVIANE FONGARO; CALIL JORGE, SORAIA ATTIE; ASTRAY, RENATO MANCINI; DE SA GUIMARAES, ANA MARCIA; MATHOR, MONICA BEATRIZ; DE CARNEIRO, PATRICIA DOS SANTOS; DURIGON, EDISON LUIZ; COVAS, DIMAS; LEAL DE OLIVEIRA, DANIELLE BRUNA; OLIVEIRA, RICARDO DAS NEVES; et al. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 equine F (Ab ')(2) immunoglobulin as a possible therapy for COVID-19. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 12, n. 1, p. 17-pg., 2022-03-10. (13/26450-2, 14/11513-1, 20/07251-2, 20/09149-0, 13/07467-1, 18/04609-3, 19/27348-3, 20/05293-0, 19/12303-4)