AI-Driven Design System for Fabrication of Inhalable Nanocatchers for Virus Capture and Neutralization

HH Pang and NS Li and YP Hsu and SP Ju and GD Syu and PX Du and CY Huang and KC Wei and HW Yang, ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS (2023).

DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202302927

The global pandemic presents a critical threat to humanity, with no effective rapid-response solutions for early-stage virus dissemination. This study aims to create an AI-driven entry-blocker design system (AIEB) to fabricate inhalable virus-like nanocatchers (VLNCs) fused with entry-blocking peptides (EBPs) to counter pandemic viruses and explore therapeutic applications. This work focuses on developing angiotensin- converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-mimic domain-fused VLNCs (ACE2@VLNCs) using AIEB and analyzing their interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD), demonstrating their potential to hinder SARS-CoV-2 infection. Aerosol-based tests show ACE2@VLNCs persist over 70 min in the air and neutralize pseudoviruses within 30 min, indicating their utility in reducing airborne virus transmission. In vivo results reveal ACE2@VLNCs mitigate over 67% of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Biosafety studies confirm their safety, causing no damage to eyes, skin, lungs, or trachea, and not eliciting significant immune responses. These findings offer crucial insights into pandemic virus prevention and treatment, highlighting the potential of the ACE2@VLNCs system as a promising strategy against future pandemics. This study presents AI-driven entry- blocker design system (AIEB), an AI system for designing fusion proteins and predicting virus entry blockers, with a focus on pandemic management and drug development. It successfully created angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-mimic nanocatchers targeting SARS-CoV-2, reducing airborne transmission and infection rates, demonstrating a new preventive approach ininfection control. image

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