Phylogeny and molecular evolution of Chikungunya (CHIKV), Dengue (DENVs) and Zika (ZIKV) viruses: identification, design and validation of peptides of biotechnological interest

• Grant number: 22/12858-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biology
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Durães de Carvalho
• Grantee: Patrícia da Silva Antunes
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/01255-9 - Bats: epidemiological surveillance, high-resolution phylodynamics, search and design of peptides of biotechnological interest in emergent and reemerging viruses, AP.JP

Abstract

Brazil constantly suffers from outbreaks and epidemics caused by several types of arboviruses. According to data from the Ministry of Health, the arboviruses Chikungunya (CHIKV), Dengue 1-4 (DENVs), and Zika (ZIKV) have been responsible for an increasing number of cases of infections causing several deaths throughout the national territory. Besides these reports, several reports show that commercial diagnostic kits available for the detection of these pathogens have major limitations, contributing to a masking of these infections and to the promotion of non-targeted therapies, directly affecting the Public Health structure of the country. This project focuses on the application of Bioinformatics and Molecular Evolution tools in viral sequences to understand the evolutionary dynamics of the main arboviruses circulating in Brazil, associating them with all the variants described worldwide. Additionally, through approaches related to the state-of-the-art of evolution and molecular systematics, the study aims to provide important contributions to the identification; design through molecular dynamics approaches and, through immunoassays, validation of target-specific peptides that can be exploited in diagnostic platforms and therapeutic strategies against these agents. (AU)