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sector_ico_Health_trans Human Health

Structure-guided design of therapeutics and antibodies against COVID-19

COV040
  • Project Leaders: Sriram Subramaniam
  • Institutions: University of British Columbia (UBC)
  • Budget: $250000
  • Program/Competition: COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding Program
  • Genome Centre(s): Genome British Columbia
  • Fiscal Year: 2020
  • Status: Closed

Finding an effective vaccine to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 as well as a therapy to treat symptoms of the disease is of the highest priority and is being pursued globally. A number of local and international companies are leading efforts to develop antibody-based therapies to prevent and treat COVID-19. This project will take “snapshots” of how the most promising antibody therapies, identified from patients who have recovered from the virus, bind to the viral surface using a powerful imaging technique known as cryo-electron microscopy. The project team are world experts in deploying this technique, and their goal will be to take a “snapshot” per week of each antibody bound to the surface of the virus. These microscopy pictures will provide information on how to improve the potency of the therapeutics and will also allow the team to identify the most potent antibody candidates as early as possible.