Biomimetic peptides for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

• Grant number: 23/10698-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: November 01, 2023
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Wendel Andrade Alves
• Grantee: Freddy Alejandro Nunez Esteves
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Although the World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease continues to take a significant toll on global health, and variants of concern represent a public health risk. The development of vaccines that can provide protection against new variants, as well as the creation of more effective, safe detection methods and those that facilitate immunological surveillance, is needed. One of the most promising detection methods being studied is biosensors, due to their high sensitivity, specificity, and cost-effectiveness. In this proposal, an architecture already described in the literature by the research group (ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng. 2023, 9, 458-473) will be optimized. For this, we plan to use the peptide P44, synthesized by the Laboratório de Imunologia, Instituto do Coração, and the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (doi:10.1101/2021.03.11.21253399) as a biorecognition element. Using sera from pre-pandemic individuals, convalescent, and vaccinated individuals for validation, the performance of the model will be analyzed through the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), obtaining parameters such as sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic method. We also propose to continue with the project started at BEPE, studying the orientation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in ZnO nanostructures using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and computational modeling in partnership with Dr. Quinn Alexander Besford from Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden. (AU)