Dr. Veronika Huntosova and her team at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia, are pioneering a novel approach to combat SARS-CoV-2 by developing metal-organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery. These nanoparticles are designed to deliver therapeutics into cells expressing ACE2 receptors, which are key entry points for the virus.
The project focuses on utilizing MOFs filled with hypericin, a molecule known for its antivirotic activity. Hypericin’s ability to inhibit the 3-chymotrypsin-like protease, a crucial enzyme in coronaviruses, makes it a promising candidate for this research. The team required advanced imaging techniques to monitor the interaction between MOFs and ACE2 receptors, and for this, they turned to ISIDORe’s services.
ISIDORe facilitated access to the Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) platform at EuroBioImaging Cellular Imaging Hungary Node. This platform provided the necessary expertise and tools to correlate hypericin fluorescence with ACE2 receptor expression. The team used FLIM to monitor the dynamics of hypericin release from the nanoparticles and its internalization into the cells.
The results demonstrated that MOFs successfully delivered hypericin to HEK cells expressing ACE2 receptors. The internalization of hypericin and its subcellular localization were confirmed, indicating significant interaction with ACE2 receptors. Further immunostaining revealed changes in mitochondrial structure and activation of autophagy in response to hypericin treatment.
ISIDORe’s support was crucial in advancing this research, providing insights into the targeting and interaction of the carrier system with ACE2 receptors. The ongoing study aims to further functionalize MOFs by conjugating them with spike proteins for more effective targeting, potentially improving treatment strategies for SARS-CoV-2 infected cells.