RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Intranasal fusion inhibitory lipopeptide prevents direct contact SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.11.04.361154
DO 10.1101/2020.11.04.361154
A1 Rory D. de Vries
A1 Katharina S. Schmitz
A1 Francesca T. Bovier
A1 Danny Noack
A1 Bart L. Haagmans
A1 Sudipta Biswas
A1 Barry Rockx
A1 Samuel H. Gellman
A1 Christopher A. Alabi
A1 Rik L. de Swart
A1 Anne Moscona
A1 Matteo Porotto
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/05/2020.11.04.361154.abstract
AB Containment of the COVID-19 pandemic requires reducing viral transmission. SARS-CoV-2 infection is initiated by membrane fusion between the viral and host cell membranes, mediated by the viral spike protein. We have designed a dimeric lipopeptide fusion inhibitor that blocks this critical first step of infection for emerging coronaviruses and document that it completely prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in ferrets. Daily intranasal administration to ferrets completely prevented SARS-CoV-2 direct-contact transmission during 24-hour co-housing with infected animals, under stringent conditions that resulted in infection of 100% of untreated animals. These lipopeptides are highly stable and non-toxic and thus readily translate into a safe and effective intranasal prophylactic approach to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.One-sentence summary A dimeric form of a SARS-CoV-2-derived lipopeptide is a potent inhibitor of fusion and infection in vitro and transmission in vivo.Competing Interest StatementRDdV, FTB, RLdS, AM and MP are listed as inventors on a provisional patent application covering findings reported in this manuscript.