TY - JOUR T1 - Spike Protein Targeting “Nano-Glue” that Captures and Promotes SARS-CoV-2 Elimination JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/2021.04.13.439641 SP - 2021.04.13.439641 AU - Guofang Zhang AU - Yalin Cong AU - Guoli Cao AU - Liang Li AU - Peng Yu AU - Qingle Song AU - Ke Liu AU - Jing Qu AU - Jing Wang AU - Wei Xu AU - Shumin Liao AU - Yunping Fan AU - Yufeng Li AU - Guocheng Wang AU - Lijing Fang AU - Yanzhong Chang AU - Yuliang Zhao AU - Diana Boraschi AU - Hongchang Li AU - Chunying Chen AU - Liming Wang AU - Yang Li Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/04/14/2021.04.13.439641.abstract N2 - The global emergency caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemics can only be solved with adequate preventive and therapeutic strategies, both currently missing. The electropositive Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with abundant β-sheet structure serves as target for COVID-19 therapeutic drug design. Here, we discovered that ultrathin 2D CuInP2S6 (CIPS) nanosheets as a new agent against SARS-CoV-2 infection, which also able to promote viral host elimination. CIPS exhibits extremely high and selective binding capacity with the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, with consequent inhibition of virus entry and infection in ACE2-bearing cells and human airway epithelial organoids. CIPS displays nano-viscous properties in selectively binding with spike protein (KD < 1 pM) with negligible toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Further, the CIPS-bound SARS-CoV-2 was quickly phagocytosed and eliminated by macrophages, suggesting CIPS could be successfully used to capture and facilitate the virus host elimination with possibility of triggering anti-viral immunization. Thus, we propose CIPS as a promising nanodrug for future safe and effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapy, as well as for use as disinfection agent and surface coating material to constrain the SARS-CoV-2 spreading.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. ER -