Celastrol: A lead compound that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, the activity of viral and human cysteine proteases, and virus-induced IL-6 secretion.

The global emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused substantial human casualties. Clinical manifestations of this disease vary from asymptomatic to lethal, and the symptomatic form can be associated with cytokine storm and hyperinflammation. In face of the urgent demand for effective drugs to treat COVID-19, we have searched for candidate compounds using in silico approach followed by experimental validation.

Molecular Imaging for In Vivo Tracking and Detection of Galectin Binding Partners.

Molecular imaging (MI) is a non-invasive growing technology that allows the investigation of cellular and molecular processes in basic and clinical research and medicine. Luminescent proteins and radionuclides can be associated to target molecules providing high-definition and real-time image of whole body in few minutes or hours. Several MI studies have enabled the determination of molecular partners, in vivo tracking, and fate of compounds in different disorders.

Discovering Selected Antibodies From Deep-Sequenced Phage-Display Antibody Library Using ATTILA.

Phage display is a powerful technique to select high-affinity antibodies for different purposes, including biopharmaceuticals. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) presented itself as a robust solution, making it possible to assess billions of sequences of the variable domains from selected sublibraries. Handling this process, a central difficulty is to find the selected clones.

Multifaceted antibodies development against synthetic α-dystroglycan mucin glycopeptide as promising tools for dystroglycanopathies diagnostic.

Dystroglycanopathies are diseases characterized by progressive muscular degeneration and impairment of patient's quality of life. They are associated with altered glycosylation of the dystrophin-glycoprotein (DGC) complex components, such as α-dystroglycan (α-DG), fundamental in the structural and functional stability of the muscle fiber. The diagnosis of dystroglycanopathies is currently based on the observation of clinical manifestations, muscle biopsies and enzymatic measures, and the available monoclonal antibodies are not specific for the dystrophic hypoglycosylated muscle condition.

Engineering of galectin-3 for glycan-binding optical imaging.

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a multifunctional glycan-binding protein that participates in many pathophysiological events and has been described as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target for severe disorders, such as cancer. Several probes for Gal-3 or its ligands have been developed, however both the pathophysiological mechanisms and potential biomedical applications of Gal-3 remain not fully assessed. Molecular imaging using bioluminescent probes provides great sensitivity for in vivo and in vitro analysis for both cellular and whole multicellular organism tracking and target detection.