A team of scientists from the University of South Carolina at Beaufort is at the forefront of researching new prospective treatments for COVID-19.
Dr. Edward D’Antonio and his student assistants are engaging with biochemists in South America to identify compounds that can evolve into cutting-edge drugs.
D’Antonio said the team’s purpose was to analyze 30,000 small molecule compounds that oppose “an incredibly vital target protein” in SARS-CoV-2 to see how proteins work.
On the USCB’s main campus in Bluffton, D’Antonio and assistant students Shane Carey and Morgan “Skip” Howard spend long hours in the lab growing and purifying the target protein with maximum performance.
D’Antonio said that after initial testing, researchers would deliver a giant batch of coronavirus protein to study partners at the National Biosciences Laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, for more experiments, until the end of spring.
Brazilian scientists will implement a strategy called high-speed screening (TRH), used in drug discovery processes, is a tool for performing millions of biological or chemical tests in a short period of time. Brazilian biochemist Dr. Gustavo F. Mercaldi will lead the complicated robot apparatus of the HTS experiment that is not available at the USCB.
“We hope that effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds will be new initial themes that will advance science,” said D’Antonio, an assignment leader and associate professor of biochemistry and structural biology at USCB.
International collaboration is nothing new in D’Antonio. In 2016, he began running with scholars at the same Brazilian establishment to examine Chagas disease, a parasitic disease that is not unusual in much of Latin America. When he hit the COVID-19 pandemic, Antonio said. , he knew that some of those study techniques may simply be paintings in the discovery of drugs for the new coronavirus.
“I tried to use my skills and talents to read about this virus and see if we could locate potential inhibitors that could prevent the virus by preventing infection,” he said.
USCB spokeswoman Carol Weir said academics and researchers were “encouraging. “
“Dr. Ed D’Antonio and his partners in Brazil are well placed to make wonderful advances in eventual drug discovery. These studies are well synchronized and can lead to new therapies,” said Dr. Joseph Staton, Dean of Science at usCB and Acting Director of Mathematics at the Department of Natural Sciences.
The path between Bluffton and the progression of a new pharmaceutical drug is long, D’Antonio said. It understands that the target of the desired form will need to be tested on human cells to assess its bonding strength, potency and toxicity.
And it’s expensive: Antonio’s allowance will charge $25,000, a significant sum for a small university, Weir said. The University of South Carolina has promised 50% and D’Antonio has been artistic in raising the rest.
He turned to a crowdfunding platform called Experiment. com in New York. At the site, scientists ask the public for funding for studies.
He published a brief review of his concept (under the name “Discovery of targeted drugs for coronavirus disease 2019”) and included approvals from UsCB Al M Chancellor. Panu and other ers.
His message included a description of what he planned to spend and a biography. Donors to the site promise small amounts of money, which are only transferred to the scientist once a predefined purpose has been achieved.
The individual donors to whom Antonio’s message promised $2,500 and the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry awarded a $10,000 grant from his Shirley E. Caputo Memorial Fund.
“These cutting-edge studios can play a key role in the progression of life-saving remedies for COVID-19,” said Jackie Rosswurm, acting president and chief executive of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. “We congratulate the USCB on its paintings and are very happy to be able to offer this support. “
D’Antonio said that in addition to advancing science and hopefully helping others and recovering from COVID-19, participating in drug discovery studies is a wonderful opportunity for their undergraduate students.
A biology degree and Walterboro local, Carey, 27, needs a medical chemistry researcher.
“I know this assignment will take you to a wonderful university after the USCB,” D’Antonio said. “Future academics will also gain advantages from this assignment of studies. “