Targeted Intracellular Degradation of SARS-CoV-2 RBD via Computationally-Optimized Peptide Fusions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has elicited a global health crisis of catastrophic proportions. With no approved cure or vaccine currently available, there is a critical need for effective antiviral strategies. In this study, we report a novel antiviral platform, through computational design of ACE2-derived peptides which both target the viral spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) and recruit E3 ubiquitin ligases for subsequent intracellular degradation of SARS-CoV-2 in the proteasome. Our engineered peptide fusions demonstrate robust RBD degradation capabilities in human cells, thus prompting their further experimental characterization and therapeutic development.