Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar: Viral Multifunctional Proteins as Drug Targets

Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar
Viral Multifunctional Proteins as Drug Targets

Dr. David N. Frick
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee

Register Here for Zoom Link
This seminar may be attended in person in 1174 Gosnell Hall or online via Zoom.

Dr. Frick’s talk will be focused on efforts to design compounds targeting more than one active site present in multifunctional viral proteins. Examples include the NS3 helicase/protease complex encoded by the hepatitis C virus and the SARS-CoV-2 nsp3 protein.

Abstract:
Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) are desperately needed to treat COVID-19 patients, stem the devastation caused by SARS-CoV-2, and prevent future pandemics. DAAs are typically developed from potent inhibitors of viral enzymes, and their efficacy correlates with how rapidly the virus evolves to be drug resistant. One solution to this problem is to design drugs that simultaneously target more than one viral enzyme. Inhibiting two essential enzymes at once is possible because many viral enzymes exist as part of multifunctional proteins. This talk focuses on our efforts to design compounds targeting more than one active site present in multifunctional viral proteins. Examples include the NS3 helicase/protease complex encoded by the hepatitis C virus and the SARS-CoV-2 nsp3 protein.

Speaker Bio:
David N. Frick earned a Ph. D. in Biology, with a focus in Biochemistry, from the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under enzymologists Maurice J. Bessman and Albert S. Mildvan. After completing a second postdoctoral fellowship with Charles C. Richardson at Harvard Medical School, he joined the faculty of New York Medical College in 2000. In 2010, he moved to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee to help found the Milwaukee Institute for Drug discovery, where he is presently a Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry.

Intended Audience:
Undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu