34th Annual Student Research Conference
Novel drug design to inhibit the ZIKV NS2B-NS3 protease
Collin J. Hansen
Dr. Bill R. Miller, Faculty Mentor
The Zika virus is a flavivirus spread by mosquitoes and, when infected, can lead to several neurological conditions, including microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome when the immune system attacks your nerves leading to paralysis.? Zika virus relies on its NS2B-NS3 viral protease for the cytoplasmic cleavage of a large polyprotein to produce mature viral proteins. Using computational simulations, such as molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and free energy calculations. These calculations will give us an idea of how well the small molecule inhibitors bind to the protease’s active site. We can then further predict this viral protease’s inhibition from these molecules and possibly develop a molecular drug for the Zika virus. With this small molecule inhibitor created, we could stop the Zika virus’s spread and prevent its associated conditions.
Keywords: Computational Biochemistry
Topic(s):Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Presentation Type: Asynchronous Virtual Oral Presentation
Session: 3-5
Location: https://flipgrid.com/f86d186b
Time: 0:00