ORS8-0051
Mucin‐Inspired Filamentous Amphiphilic Copolymers Effectively Inhibit Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (hRSV) Infectivity
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
12:00 - 12:15
Room 108
Session Chairs
Jieung BAEK
Yoonho HWANG
Presenter(s)
Raju Bej (Assistant Professor, JBM School of Health Sciences and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections. Preventing hRSV infection at its early stages represents an effective strategy to inhibit viral progression. The interaction between negatively charged heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) and the positively charged heparin-binding domain (HBD) of hRSV glycoproteins is a common and critical feature of hRSV-mediated infection, making it an attractive target for the development of negatively charged antiviral agents. In this regard, mucin-inspired biomaterials have been developed, demonstrating excellent inhibitory activity against a range of pathogens owing to their unique characteristics, including high molecular weight, filamentous structure, and strong electronegative charge.[1]
Here, we designed mucin-inspired amphiphilic copolymers (MIACPs) composed of ~70% dendronized sulfated groups and ~30% C11 hydrophobic units. The sulfated groups are intended to inhibit viral binding via electrostatic interactions with positively charged regions on viral surface proteins, while the hydrophobic C11 domains are expected to provide virucidal activity by disrupting the viral membrane. These biocompatible MIACPs exhibit strong, sulfate-dependent inhibition of hRSV, with exceptionally low IC50 values (~0.25 µg/mL).[2] Virucidal activity was also assessed, confirming that MIACPs demonstrate potent virucidal effects, indicating a very strong binding affinity of the polymers to hRSV.
The synthesis and characterization of MIACPs using cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), along with the assessment of their biocompatibility and evaluation of their antiviral and virucidal efficacy against hRSV, will be discussed in the presentation.
References:
[1] R. Bej and R. Haag, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 20137.
[2] R. Bej, C. Sieben and R. Haag et al., Adv. Sci. 2026, e15908, 1-10.
Here, we designed mucin-inspired amphiphilic copolymers (MIACPs) composed of ~70% dendronized sulfated groups and ~30% C11 hydrophobic units. The sulfated groups are intended to inhibit viral binding via electrostatic interactions with positively charged regions on viral surface proteins, while the hydrophobic C11 domains are expected to provide virucidal activity by disrupting the viral membrane. These biocompatible MIACPs exhibit strong, sulfate-dependent inhibition of hRSV, with exceptionally low IC50 values (~0.25 µg/mL).[2] Virucidal activity was also assessed, confirming that MIACPs demonstrate potent virucidal effects, indicating a very strong binding affinity of the polymers to hRSV.
The synthesis and characterization of MIACPs using cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), along with the assessment of their biocompatibility and evaluation of their antiviral and virucidal efficacy against hRSV, will be discussed in the presentation.
References:
[1] R. Bej and R. Haag, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 20137.
[2] R. Bej, C. Sieben and R. Haag et al., Adv. Sci. 2026, e15908, 1-10.
