Description:

Seminar Title:

Small Molecule Inhibitors that Block the Budding of HIV, HSV-1/2, and Possibly Covid-19

Speaker: Jonathan Leis, PhD/ Professor, Department of Micriobiology-Immunology

Topic:

Viral infections represent a significant global health challenge.  Current therapies target viral proteins from a single virus, limiting their utility, and making them vulnerable to drug resistance. An alternative approach would focus on host processes necessary for viral infection. A key step for enveloped viruses is releasing mature particles (budding) from membranes. Blocking this budding process would stop viral spread, but is not currently a therapeutic target. We identified small molecules, called viral budding inhibitors (VBIs) that block budding of HIV-1 and HSV-1/2, and in the former case in the nM range.  Since the same VBIs block both viruses, they have potential for broad-spectrum applications including the possibility of blocking budding of CoVir-19. We believe that targeting host rather than viral proteins reduces risks of drug resistance. Importantly, VBIs inhibit viral budding without disrupting normal functions of the host target. If developed into a drug, VBIs would represent a significant advance for treating viral infections worldwide.   ​

Zoom Link:

https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/93254609990?pwd=ejhDbnE3eDJ6SWlxaVZFa2JsbWJOQT09

Meeting ID: 932 5460 9990
Password: 255339