Structure-based drug discovery on viral proteins

In developing countries Rotavirus (RV) gastroenteritis is responsible for about 452,000 infant deaths annually, despite the commercial availability since 2006 of two attenuated vaccines. As there are no specific antiviral therapies, the project proposes a multidisciplinary approach aimed at identifying molecules able to inhibit the initial phases of the replicative cycle of RVs. The two main targets of the study are i) the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase VP1 and ii) the capsid protein VP6. The molecules deriving from the optimization of all the inhibitors identified in this project can then be developed as drugs to be used individually or in combination.

Members:
Michela Bollati (Principal investigator)
Matteo De Rosa
Eloise Mastrangelo
Mario Milani