A06 – Characterization and optimization of the CXCR4 antagonist EPI-X4 (Jan Münch, Florian Klein, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia)

Examination of a blood-derived peptide library for HIV-1 inhibitors identified a small fragment of human serum albumin, named EPI-X4, as a potent and specific inhibitor of CXCR4 signaling. This project will clarify whether EPI-X4 represents the long-sought gatekeeper preventing sexual transmission of CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 strains. CXCR4 is a promising drug target for tumor therapy and optimized derivatives of EPI-X4 show promising therapeutic effects in mouse models. The project will combine machine learning applications, biomolecular modeling, and functional assays to further optimize EPI-X4 derivatives and to evaluate their therapeutic efficacy against different types of cancers and inflammatory diseases. 

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Principal Investigators

Klein, Florian, Prof. Dr.

Department of Internal Medicine I
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne
University of Cologne
Robert-Koch-Str. 21
50931 Cologne
Tel: 0221 478 89693
florian.klein(at)uk-koeln.de

Münch, Jan, Prof. Dr.

Institute of Molecular Virology
Ulm University Medical Center
Meyerhofstr. 1
89081 Ulm
Tel: 0731 50065150
jan.muench(at)uni-ulm.de