To date, there are no prophylactic vaccines available to protect against Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which infects over 70 million people each year. The combination therapies that do exist have severe side effects and are only effective in 40–80% of patients. This technology brings a novel and promising approach to the much-needed realm of antiviral drugs by inhibiting viral entry of the Hepatitis C virus at submicromolar concentrations.
Description
The human apolipoprotein E peptide, hEP, was rationally designed from human apoE. hEP has been shown to specifically block entry of HCV at sub-micromolar concentrations. Results demonstrate that the hEP peptide acts at the viral attachment step, implying apoE has a role in a very early step of viral entry. Analyses of hEP mapped its anti-HCV activity to a 33 amino acid-long region that harbors the receptor binding domain of human apolipoprotein E. These promising results for the novel peptide, hEP, opens the doors to new tools for the development of improved antiviral drugs as well as for drug resistance research.
Applications
· Development of improved antiviral drugs and vaccines, including for the novel coronavirus
· Tools for drug resistance research
Advantages
· Blocks entry of HCV early in the viral attachment process
· Effective at submicromolar concentrations
· Reduces the risk of severe side effects that accompany current HCV therapies
Invention Readiness
In vitro data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US9234026/en
