Molecular Discovery and bioengineering of innovative biologics to detect pandemic threat pathogens, new virus variants and emerging viruses/Virus X.

COVID-19, COVID-19 variants and Influenza are critical pandemic threat pathogens and their monitoring and rapid sensitive detection in the community is vital. The project will explore the molecular discovery and bioengineering of innovative biologics for the detection of pandemic threat pathogens, such as Sars Cov2, SCV2 variants and influenza.  These biologics will be bioengineered with multifunctional components including high-affinity binding elements for viral targets and programmed with self-signalling capabilities utilising reporter enzymes, chromoproteins, biosensors and fluorescent proteins. Molecular libraries will also be screened to discover new molecules binding virus components, viral variant hotspots and potentially binders to emerging viral threats or viruses that don’t yet exist (Virus X).  The biologics will be applied in diagnostic platforms, developed as part of the project and tested on real life patient samples. This project will build skills in molecular biology, molecular discovery, protein design and bioengineering, protein analytics, diagnostic platform and bioassay development.