Abstract
Presentation topic: Entry inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 variants

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although several vaccines in use have reduced the mortality and hospitalization rates clinically, current vaccines, neutralizing antibody (NAb) and small molecular drugs are insufficient in stopping the transmission of continuously emerged waves of viral variants of concern (VOCs). Eliminating COVID-19 still faces the great challenge of vaccine breakthrough infections and reinfections globally. It is, therefore, necessary to search for a broadly reactive inhibitor for fighting COVID-19. Such inhibitors should be able to prevent viral entry so that it can be developed for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. To this end, one unique feature of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs is their full dependency on host receptor angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) for entry into target cells. We, therefore, aim to discover ACE2-specfic SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors, which do not affect the function of ACE2 in term of enzyme catalytic activity.