NIH R01 · 2025
A NOVEL STRATEGY TO INHIBIT SARS-COV-2 INFECTION AND COVID-19
We propose in this application a novel therapeutic approach for the eradication of CoV-2. We developed a new strategy, which consists of hijacking the viral replication machinery to trigger the death of CoV-2-infected cells, while preserving uninfected cells. We propose to administer intranasally human ACE2 transgenic mice a “tailored” RNA encoding the diphtheria toxin fragment A (DTA) called {CoV-2 Hijack DTA} that is only recognized and transcribed by the CoV-2 polymerase (Pol/RdRp) present in infected cells, triggering DTA expression and rapid death of infected cells. Since DTA cannot cross the cellular membrane, it cannot kill uninfected cells. Because RNA can be easily broken down in…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.