UC Davis Events Calendar

Join UC Davis Provost Mary Croughan and LeShelle May for a conversation on the challenges and lessons learned while helping to lead the university through the pandemic, and what changes may be here to stay. The Provost will share how her experience as a leader in academia and her training in epidemiology has helped her guide UC Davis during her first year as Provost. Learn about her story, who inspired her along the way and a day in the life of a university Provost.

Register here.

Discover how mindfulness can help stress.

Please register: https://bit.ly/35FhLNt

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19 respiratory disease is evolving during the current pandemic. New variants show enhanced replication and the potential to evade therapeutic antibodies. In the near future, variants may even evade first generation vaccines. The currently approved direct acting antiviral remdesivir targets the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase which is subject to rapid evolution as it is encoded by the viral RNA genome. In order to develop therapeutic approaches which act in a pan-coronavirus manner we and our colleagues at the QBI Coronavirus Research Group (QCRG) have mapped the human proteins (host factors) which multiple Coronaviruses rely on for replication. Through a rapid drug repurposing effort we have identified zotatifin, a clinical eIF4A inhibitor as a host factor targeted therapeutic. Zotatifin which is based on the natural product rocaglamide A works as a molecular glue to trap eIF4A on its target, the (+) RNA viral genome. Other examples of targeting essential host factors, including those for immune evasion will be discussed.