Project data
Funding Entity: Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR)
Call: PRIN 2022
Coordinator: Università degli Studi di Siena (Italy)
UNISI Principal Investigator: Prof. Maurizio Zazzi
Department: Department of Medical Biotechnologies (DBM)
Start date: 27 September 2023
End date: 26 February 2026
Description
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shown an extraordinary impact of virus variability on the course of the pandemic, hindering vaccination and monoclonal antibody (mAb) efficacy and prompting for direct antiviral agent (DAA) repurposing and development with variable success. This proposal aims at investigating the following areas:
1. Activity of mAbs and DAAs vs. SARS-CoV-2 variants in vitro
2. Genetic barrier to resistance to mAbs and DAAs in vitro
3. Emergent resistance to mAbs and DAAs in vivo
4. Persistence of mAb activity in vivo over time
Gaining knowledge in the above areas is fundamental to define the role of anti-SARS-CoV-2 treatment as a complement of the continued global vaccination campaign. In addition, the combined investigation of natural and drug-selected virus variability will be an extraordinarily effective way to define the viral genetic space and the potential for virus evolution in the upcoming years.
The project is funded by European Union – Next-GenerationEU – National Recovery and Resilience PLAN (PNRR) – Mission 4, Component 2, Investiment 1.1 Fondo per il Programma Nazionale di Ricerca e Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN) – CUP B53D23003550006