Scientists Come Up With A New COVID19 Drug Design By Blocking A Viral Molecular Scissor

A team of scientists has laid out a new COVID19 drug design recently. They have said that an effective treatment for the COVID19 disease can be designed by blocking a viral molecular scissor. Molecular Scissor is used by the virus to disable human proteins, which are important for immune response. It is used by the virus for reproduction as well. Experts from the University of Texas Health Science Center and the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology have come up with this new theory. The findings of the report have helped Polish chemists to develop two molecules, which restrain the cutter, an enzyme known as SARS-CoV-2-PLpro. The senior author of the study, Dr. Shaun K. Olsen has said that the enzyme helps increase the infection by identifying and processing both human and viral proteins.

The author has said that this enzyme carries out a double blow. Initially, it produces a protein, which is essential for the virus to replicate, and at the same time, it reduces molecules known as cytokines and chemokines, which are responsible for triggering the immune system to fight off the infection. SARS-CoV-2-PLpro reduces human proteins called ubiquitin and ISG15, which are crucial for maintaining protein integrity. That is the reason it is called a molecular scissor. This enzyme slashes these proteins away from other proteins, which can reverse their normal effect. Dr. Olsen and his team have been able to crack the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme and the two inhibitor molecules, which are known as VIR250 and VIR251. Experts have developed inhibitors, which can effectively block all the activities of SARS-CoV-2-PLpro.

In the study, experts have not been able to identify other similar enzymes in human cells. The inhibitor has been specifically developed for one viral enzyme, which does not cross-react with other human enzymes that have the same function. A team of American scientists as well as evaluated the SARS-CoV-2-PLpro against similar enzymes from the SARS-CoV-1 and MERS. Experts have found that SARS-CoV-2-PLpro operates ubiquitin and ISG15 quite differently than its SARS-CoV-1 counterpart.