Attendees will hear from NICHD’s Dr. Tracey Rouault about the potential to formulate the compound, Tempol, into a preventative and oral treatment for COVID-19. The replication of the SARS-CoV-2’s genome is prompted by the presence of RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRp). A critical component necessary for RdRp’s proper functionality is an iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster that becomes integrated into the tertiary structure of the RdRp. RdRp requires the Fe-S cluster to replicate the SARS-CoV-2 genome, thus allowing the virus to proliferate and spread. If you can disrupt the Fe-S cluster, you can potentially disrupt the functionality of the RdRp and prevent it from replicating the virus.

Webinar attendees will learn more about how the compound Tempol can potentially prevent replication of the COVID-19 virus by disrupting the formation of Fe-S clusters that are necessary for proper RdRp function. The resulting non-functional RdRp therefore, loses its ability to replicate the COVID-19 genome and keeps it from spreading throughout the body and from person-to-person. Dr. Rouault will also explain how Tempol targets the Fe-S clusters responsible for COVID-19 replication, and at the same time does not affect other cellular processes that require Fe-S proteins in normal cells.