ZAGREB: Croatian scientist Ivica Djikic and his team at the Institute of Biochemistry II (IBC2) in Frankfurt have discovered a potential weak spot of the novel coronavirus.
This might enable a two-pronged therapeutic strategy – stemming the spread of the virus and boosting the immunological response, according to Croatian news agency, HINA.
“No one has tested this concept so far. We are the first to have a possible cure that will have a twofold impact both on the virus and on boosting the immunological response,” Djikic, who is the director of IBC2, said in an interview with the commercial Nova TV channel on Wednesday evening.
He called this discovery a great step towards finding a cure for Covid-19.
“This is now a chance for us to create for the first time something that is unique and focused on a viral enzyme. Based on that we can create a more effective and specific cure for this type of virus,” Djikic said.
“The project emerged from the idea of discovering the virus’s Achilles’ heel rather than a cure. Within two months and through collaboration with nine laboratories in Germany and the Netherlands, we have managed to find the virus’ weak spot.”
According to a statement from IBC2, scientists have identified the papain-like protease (PLpro) of SARS-CoV-2 as an essential viral enzyme and potential weak spot.
PLpro is required for the processing of viral polypeptides and the assembly of new viral particles within human cells. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 uses this enzyme to dampen the anti-viral immune response, helping the virus to modulate the host’s immune system to its own benefit. By this, the virus can easily multiply and spread further.
The team has demonstrated that pharmaceutical targeting of PLpro by a non-covalent inhibitor (GRL-0617) blocks virus spread and increases anti-viral immunity in human epithelial cells, the prime site of pathogen entry.
Djikic is a leading expert in the fields of ubiquitin biology and cancer research. He is a professor at Goethe University Frankfurt and maintains a research lab where multidisciplinary teams of scientists study the molecular principles of life and discover pathological alterations that lead to the development of human diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and infection. – May 7, 2020, Bernama
