The scientists at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have reported a new class of artificial peptides or miniproteins (molecules), which they hope will fight COVID-19 by rendering viruses inactive.
- While blocking the entry of certain viruses into the cells, they will also clump the virus particles together to reduce the infection levels.
- During the study, a new approach wherein miniproteins can bind to and block the protein spike on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virus, was explored by the scientists.
- To test their hypothesis, they used a miniprotein called SIH-5 to target the interaction between the spike (S) protein of the virus and ACE2 protein in human cells.
What are Miniproteins?
- Miniproteins are smaller, rigid scaffolds that can be produced recombinantly or synthetically.
- Their small size typically results in short serum half-life, but they can bind with high affinity, and the small, robust scaffolds may act in tissues and compartments that are unavailable to larger proteins.
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