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Pandemic Preparedness Capabilities

Sialic acid-based compounds with broad-spectrum activity against viruses with pandemic potential


PI(s)/Head responsible for the resource:

Niklas Arnberg

Host organisation(s):

Umeå University

Resource description:

Acute infections and secondary diseases caused by respiratory viruses constitute a substantial burden to public health and to health care, and there is a lack of antiviral treatments against most respiratory viruses. There is also a lack of broad-spectrum antiviral treatments against unrelated respiratory viruses such as influenza virus (IV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) coronavirus (CoV), and enterovirus (EV) belonging to different virus families (Orthomyxoviridae Coronaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, and Picornaviridae respectively). We and others have demonstrated that these viruses use a common molecular mechanism for entry into target respiratory cells, i.e, viral proteins such as the coronavirus spike protein must bind to glycan-containing molecules terminated with the monosaccharide sialic acid. We and others have also demonstrated that soluble sialic acid-containing molecules can prevent and substantially inhibit in fection of sialic acid-binding viruses in advanced model systems including respiratory organoids. We propose to generate an arsenal of defined multivalent sialic acid conjugates to be used against endemic viruses and serve as first-line antivirals to be used against new pandemic viruses and would thus fortify our pandemic prepardness.

Based on our existing antiviral conjugates we will:

  • Perform a medicinal chemistry program to improve potency.
  • Screen the new molecules for antiviral efficacy against four medically important respiratory viruses.
  • Formulate selected molecules for delivery by inhalation.
  • Perform pharmacokinetic profiling.

We expect this project to deliver candidate broad-spectrum antiviral conjugates that can be funnelled into development of new treatments and preventions of endemic viruses and viruses with pandemic potential.

Contact information:

Niklas Arnberg
Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University
Email: niklas.arnberg@umu.se