Quantum dot conjugated virus spike protein for cell-based bio-sensing systems and drug screening

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12590961-B2
Application number	US-202117389645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2021
Priority date	Aug 3, 2020
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

Quantum dots conjugated to SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) interact with gold nanoparticles bound to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and thus undergo energy transfer. This energy transfer indicates RBD/ACE binding and can be used to assay for inhibitors thereof. Moreover, these labeled quantum dots were found to undergo endocytosis in cells expressing ACE2.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of assaying inhibitors of Spike protein binding, comprising:
providing a quantum dot labeled with a protein comprising SARS-COV-2 Spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) comprising a Spike protein trimer; contacting the quantum dot with a gold nanoparticle conjugated to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in the presence of a possible inhibitor of binding between the RBD and ACE2; and measuring energy transfer between the quantum dot and the gold nanoparticle, wherein the energy transfer when compared to a control indicates binding between the RBD and ACE2 and thereby possible inhibition thereof.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the possible inhibitor is an antibody against the SARS-COV-2 Spike protein.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the possible inhibitor is a drug.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said protein comprising RBD is a Histidine-tagged RBD (RBD-His).

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said RBD has at least 98% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 11.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Navy
• The Government Of The Us Secretary Department Of Health

Inventors

• Oh Eunkeu
• Susumu Kimihiro
• Wolak Mason A
• Gorshkov Kirill

Classifications

• G01N2333/165

  Coronaviridae, e.g. avian infectious bronchitis virus · CPC title

• G01N2500/10

  involving cells · CPC title

• G01N2500/02

  Screening involving studying the effect of compounds C on the interaction between interacting molecules A and B (e.g. A = enzyme and B = substrate for A, or A = receptor and B = ligand for the receptor) · CPC title

• G01N33/588

  with semiconductor nanocrystal label, e.g. quantum dots · CPC title

• G01N2333/948

  acting on peptide bonds (3.4) · CPC title