# Urgent Covid-19 Revision to the Center for High-Throughput Functional Annotation of Natural Products

> **NIH NIH U41** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ · 2020 · $241,894

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Viruses are cleverly dangerous; they jump from species to species, mutate to evade vaccines and single
antiviral drugs, and cause many human diseases and deaths. A notorious and current example is Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2; hereafter abbreviated SARS-2), of which we are in
the midst of a global pandemic. As we are witnessing daily, the pandemic reveals the gaping holes in the US’s
healthcare system and how woefully unprepared we are for viral outbreaks. While dozens of clinical trials are
ongoing, we still do not yet have effective and widely available vaccines and antiviral or anti-inflammatory
drugs to fight the virus and the inflammatory sequelae of infection. As such, many people have turned to
natural products with the hope that these untested supplements will keep them safe and healthy. In fact, nearly
20% of the US population uses natural products for treatment or prevention of disease. The use of plant-
based medicines is even more prevalent in developing countries, where for many people they constitute
the primary health care modality. This COVID-19 Emergency Competitive Revision funding request to
U41 AT008718-06, The Center for High-Throughput Functional Annotation of Natural Products (PI
MacMillan), will address the over-riding hypothesis that natural products contain mixtures of compounds
that potently inhibit SARS-2 and virus-induced inflammation primarily by targeting the cell. To address the
hypothesis, the Cech, MacMillan, and Polyak labs will merge their complementary expertise in natural
product biochemometrics, genetic profiling, and virology to conduct two Specific Aims that will test selected
natural product extracts for suppression of virus infection using Biosafety Level (BSL) 2-compatible reporter
pseudoviruses that enter cells using the SARS-2 Spike protein (Aim 1). This aim will also identify two- and
three-compound synergists consisting of mixtures of natural products and FDA approved drugs with
demonstrated anti-SARS-2 and broad-spectrum antiviral activity. In Aim 2 the most potent extracts and
combinations will be validated against fully infectious SARS-2 under BSL3 containment. The natural
products being profiled in the U41 will be prioritized for analysis. With this approach, promising
antiviral natural products or extracts will have complementary FUSION and cytological profiles such that
we will gain immediate insight into mechanisms of cell engagement and action. Since natural products
are well known to engage human cells to provide cytoprotection, and since many viruses engage similar
pathways into and out of cells, our innovative approach and results may also work against other emerging
and re-emerging infections. Thus, our practical approach will help battle COVID-19 and enhance global
preparedness for the next virus outbreak.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10212767
- **Project number:** 3U41AT008718-07S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHN B MACMILLAN
- **Activity code:** U41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $241,894
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2015-09-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10212767

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10212767, Urgent Covid-19 Revision to the Center for High-Throughput Functional Annotation of Natural Products (3U41AT008718-07S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10212767. Licensed CC0.

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