Oral Presentation 14th Australian Peptide Conference 2022

Development of Highly Potent Peptide-based Pan-CoV Fusion Inhibitors (#38)

Shuai Xia 1 , Lu Lu 1 , Shibo Jiang 1
  1. Fudan University, Shanghai, China

During the past two decades, the emerging human coronavirus (HCoV) outbreaks have posed severe threats to global public health and economic development, as illustrated in the current COVID-19 pandemic, thus calling for the development of pan-CoV inhibitors. Based on our previous experience in the development of peptide-based viral fusion inhibitors against HIV (Nature 1993; 365: 113), SARS-CoV (Lancet 2004; 363: 938), MERS-CoV (Nat. Commun. 2014; 5: 3067), we designed and developed the first pan-CoV fusion inhibitor, EK1, which is effective against all human coroviruses (HCoVs) tested (Sci. Adv. 2019; 5: eaav4580). EK1 peptide is now under clinical trial for treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. We then further modified EK1 by conjugating cholesterol to its C-terminus. One of the lipopeptides, EK1C4, is about 240- and 150-fold more potent than EK1 against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-mediated membrane fusion and pseudovirus infection, respectively. It is also very effective against infection by other HCoVs, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and SARS-related CoVs (Cell Res. 2020; 30: 1343-355). Notably, both EK1 and EK1C4 are potent in inhibiting infection by SARS-CoV variants, including Omicron (Cell Res. 2022; 32: 404-4065). Intranasal administration of EK1C4 to hACE-transgenic mice before or after challenge with SARS-CoV-2 protected mice from infection (Signal Transduct. Target Ther. 2021; 6: 288.). All these results suggest that EK1 and its lipopeptides can be used for prevention and treatment of infection by the currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, as well as other emerging and reemerging HCoV diseases in the future.