Presenter: Roberto Antolović

Title: Nano-based Approach for Direct Lung Delivery of Azithromycin and Hydroxychloroquine to Combat Emerging Viral (SARS-CoV-2) Infection

Duration: 10-15 min.

Abstract: Since mid-December 2019 until May the 2020 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) originating from Wuhan (Hubei Province, China) has infected over 4 million laboratory-confirmed cases worldwide with a case-fatality rate varying widely from country to country. Among candidate drugs to treat the COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 are emphasized the macrolide antibiotic Azithromycin (AZI) and the antimalarial agent Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). HCQ has been demonstrated to have antiviral and specific anti-SARS-CoV activity in vitro. While,  AZI has been shown to be active in vitro against Zika and Ebola viruses and to prevent severe respiratory tract infections when administrated to patients suffering viral infection. The modelling and designing of specific NPs which could accommodate AZI and HCQ combination will allow the development of novel nanodrug that could adjuvate the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and reduce COVID-19 complications.

Biography: Prof. Dr. Roberto Antolović, DVM, is a full professor at the Catholic University of Croatia. He has studied veterinary medicine in Zagreb and got the PhD in biochemistry on the Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, Germany. He was a postdoc on the Medical Faculty in Lausanne/Switzerland and on the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen. He was working for ten years in pharmaceutical industry for Pliva Research Institute and GlaxoSmithKline Research Centre in Zagreb on the development of new anti-inflammatory and anti-infective drugs as senior scientist and project leader. After ten years of industry experience, he moved to the Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka and worked as head of biochemistry and biology. Currently he is a professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and microbiology at the Catholic University of Croatia.

Contact:
Roberto Antolović, Ph.D.
Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
gsm: +385 993323149

email: roberto.antolovic@unicath.hr