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COVID-19: Structural characterization of the evolution pathways of SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein


EMSL Project ID
51655

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 epidemic represents a global public health crisis unseen in recent memory. The virion surface glycoprotein known as spike is a trimeric extension that mediates both the initial interaction and the subsequent fusion with host cells. As an extracellular target and a key mediator of infection this protein represents an intense focal point in vaccine and therapeutic research platforms as well as one of the primary antigenic sites of the virus during infection. The immune system's evolutionary pressure may result in variants that can escape naturally acquired or vaccine-induced immunity and indeed variants at key antibody binding sites have begun to emerge. In the proposed work predicted variants of spike will be structurally characterized and these structures will help inform vaccine and therapeutic efforts going forward.

Project Details

Start Date
2020-10-22
End Date
2021-03-17
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Natalie Strynadka
Institution
The University of British Columbia

Team Members

Craig Robb
Institution
The University of British Columbia

Liam Worrall
Institution
The University of British Columbia