Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The COVID-19 pandemic has now surpassed 34 million confirmed cases. No vaccine or antiviral drug has yet been approved to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Moreover, the most vulnerable people are also at risk of severe infection from seasonal circulating respiratory viruses, such as influenza. In the absence of effective vaccines against COVID-19 and most strains of common respiratory viruses, new approaches guided by interdisciplinary research are required. Most viruses initiate attachment to the surface of human cells by interacting with complex carbohydrates called glycans. I aim to identify which subtypes of glycans are used by SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses for entry and infection of human airway cells. Through collaboration with an expert carbohydrate chemist, we will design and test glycan-mimicking antiviral molecules that block the interaction with glycans to prevent viral infection. With this project, I will rapidly identify prototype antiviral prophylactics to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and other common or emerging viral respiratory infections.