Project P07
Immunophilins as potential therapeutic targets for coronavirus-induced respiratory disease
PD Dr. Claudia Staab-Weijnitz (P07) in collaboration with PD Dr. Albrecht von Brunn
Evidence from the literature and our own work strongly suggests that immunophilins are promising targets for pharmaceutical inhibition of coronavirus replication. Here, we test non-immunosuppressive inhibitors of immunophilins as broad spectrum inhibitors of coronavirus replication in a human organotypic model of the bronchial epithelium. In efforts to elucidate the underlying mechanisms we will assess potential mechanisms using gene expression analysis and validate direct interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and selected host immunophilins using a yeast-two-hybrid system. The collective results may pave the way to a pan-coronavirus inhibitor which would provide a first-line therapeutic strategy not only for this virus, but also for newly emerging CoV strains in the future.