(610g) Exploiting Viruses That Kill and Killing Viruses That Exploit (Invited Speaker)

Nature is unparalleled in its structural and functional diversity. In many cases, nature has provided us with a blueprint to overcome gaps in our biomedical arsenal, whether for sensing, actuating or provide therapeutic advances. Nowhere is this more evident than in nature’s most abundant “life” forms – viruses, including bacteriophages. We have exploited various molecular machines in bacteriophages to sense and/or kill human pathogens, thereby providing new routes to biosensors, therapeutics and disinfectants. Unfortunately, viruses often exploit us, as we are now all too aware given SARS-CoV-2 and the tragic loss of life and economic destruction caused by COVID-19. We have once again turned to nature’s vast arsenal of biomolecules to target viruses, including coronaviruses, among other human pathogens. This includes the use of the anticoagulant heparin, which possesses extraordinary binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and heparin analogs and other functional polysaccharides that possess exceptional binding without anticoagulation. In this manner, we have uncovered a unique Achilles heel of many viral pathogens and identify new routes to bring them under control.