Artificial enzymes-scissors: The new “weapon” against the coronavirus by British scientists

Scientists in Britain have used synthetic biology to create artificial enzymes that act as molecular “scissors”, programmed to target the genetic code of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and thereby destroy it.

This new approach could be exploited to develop a new generation of antiviral drugs.

Natural enzymes are biological catalysts that enable chemical transformations necessary for the body to function, such as to “translate” the genetic code into proteins or help digest food. Although most enzymes are proteins, some of these vital biochemical reactions are catalyzed by the RNA molecule, DNA’s chemical cousin, which creates a special class of enzymes, ribozymes or ribozymes. Some ribozymes can act like scissors and cut other RNA molecules.

Scientists have discovered a few years ago that artificial genetic material known as CNA, which does not exist in nature and is a synthetic alternative to DNA and RNA, can be used to create the world’s first completely artificial enzymes, known as CNA- enzymes or xeno-enzymes. Along the way, a new generation of these synthetic enzymes has been created, which are now much more stable and effective than the original ones. They are now able to precisely cut long complex RNA molecules.

Now for the first time these artificial enzyme-scissors are being deployed against the coronavirus.

The researchers from the Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Diseases (CITIID) of the University of Cambridge, led by Dr. Alex Taylor, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Nature Communications”, managed to use the new method to “kill” successfully live coronavirus.

The researchers stressed: “We have shown in principle that it is possible, although we are still at the beginning. It’s worth remembering that Pfizer’s and Moderna’s highly successful Covid-19 vaccines are themselves based on synthetic RNA molecules, so this is a really exciting and fast-growing field with huge potential.”

Because CNA-enzymes have high targeting precision, they could theoretically avoid the failures and toxic side effects that other molecular therapies have experienced. Also, although the coronavirus is constantly evolving by changing its genetic code, leading to new variants that make vaccines less effective, RNA-enzymes can be directed to target the regions of the viral RNA that mutate less often or can cut different parts at the same time of the viral genome or even more CNA-enzymes could be combined in a “cocktail”.

British scientists hope that the artificial enzymes will be possible in the future to be administered in the form of medicine to protect those exposed to the coronavirus from Covid-19, preventing infection, or even to treat patients with the infection, helping the body to get rid of the coronavirus. something especially important for people with weakened immune systems.

The next step, according to Taylor, will be to create xenoenzymes that are even more targeted and durable, so that they can stay longer in the body and work as more effective catalysts in smaller doses.

RES-EMP

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