Embodiments include therapeutic peptides for preventing or reducing the transmission of a coronavirus such as SARS-CoV2. Also included are methods of using therapeutic peptides for reducing or preventing transmission of a coronavirus such as SARS-CoV2. The therapeutic peptides can prevent a region of the surface glycoprotein “spike” on SARS-CoV2 from interacting with angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) of host cells.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides are provided. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides include peptide sequences corresponding to the sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 fusion complex heptad repeat domain HR2 and having at least one artificial mutation. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides may be 39-mers, such as peptides #121 (SEQ ID NO: 2) and #125 (SEQ ID NO: 5). These peptides may competitively bind to SARS-CoV-2 and prevent either membrane mediated SARS-CoV-2 fusion, endocytosis-mediated viral entry, or both. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 fusion peptides may be administered to a subject in need thereof to inhibit or prevent SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry.

The disclosure provides methods and compositions utilizing recombinant nucleic acid constructs encoding a chemokine, cytokine, or apoptosis inducing protein (e.g. Caspase 9 (Casp9)), or other toxins in a form which can only be transcribed in the presence of a viral polymerase. These methods can be adapted to target many viral infections and reduce or eliminate viral load, and provide a fundamentally different treatment for viral infections.

The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides include a set of peptides designed by modification or mutation of a wild type MERS-CoV fusion protein. The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides are capable of inhibition of MERS-CoV membrane fusion, and thereby may prevent or slow the spread of MERS-CoV infections. Thus, the MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides may be used in pharmaceuticals to prevent and/or treat MERS-CoV infection. The pharmaceuticals may be formulated to comprise at least one of the MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides and a carrier, or they may include one or more expression systems capable of promoting cellular expression of one or more MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides. The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides may also be used as reagents for MERS-CoV inhibition assays as a standard or reference inhibitors.

The present disclosure is directed to compositions and methods for targeted drug delivery that comprise a biocompatible framework carrying at least one drug and a viral surface protein, where the viral surface protein mediates entry into a target cell and is attached to an outer surface of the biocompatible framework in the drug carrier.

Embodiments include therapeutic peptides for preventing or reducing the transmission of a coronavirus such as SARS-CoV2. Also included are methods of using therapeutic peptides for reducing or preventing transmission of a coronavirus such as SARS-CoV2. The therapeutic peptides can prevent a region of the surface glycoprotein “spike” on SARS-CoV2 from interacting with angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) of host cells.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 or COVID-2) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The virus is mainly spread during close contact and via respiratory droplets produced when people cough or sneeze. Respiratory droplets may be produced during breathing but the virus is not generally airborne. A half-life optimized fusion composition linked by a Half-Life Optimizing (H-Lo) linker comprising of a receptor binding domain (RBD), a half-life extending domain (LED), wherein the LED is any one of a monoclonal antibody, single domain antibody, nanobody, antibody fragment, or combination thereof and the H-Lo linker with an X+7 amino acid length fusing the RBD C-terminus with the LED N-terminus (RBD-LED fusion) is discussed in the invention.

The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides include a set of peptides designed by modification or mutation of a wild type MERS-CoV fusion protein. The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides are capable of inhibition of MERS-CoV membrane fusion, and thereby may prevent or slow the spread of MERS-CoV infections. Thus, the MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides may be used in pharmaceuticals to prevent and/or treat MERS-CoV infection. The pharmaceuticals may be formulated to comprise at least one of the MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides and a carrier, or they may include one or more expression systems capable of promoting cellular expression of one or more MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides. The MERS-CoV inhibitor peptides may also be used as reagents for MERS-CoV inhibition assays as a standard or reference inhibitors.

Disclosed herein are cross-linked peptides useful for interfering with and inhibiting coronavirus infection (e.g., infection by SARS-CoV-2). Also disclosed are methods of treating and/or preventing a coronavirus infection (e.g., COVID-19).

The invention provides polypeptides (e.g., antibodies) and fusion proteins that target a epitope in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) glycoprotein of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The polypeptides and fusion proteins can be used to treat and prevent MERS-CoV infection in mammals.