伊波拉病毒自2014年在西非爆發以來，已造成 10,000人死亡。澳門大學科技學院博士研究生 Faraz Mohammadali Shaikh在英國牛津大學人 類基因學威爾康信託中心（WTCHG）實習期 間，研發出可以令伊波拉病毒失去穩定性的化合 物。Shaikh說：「可以參與該研究項目，研發藥 物終結伊波拉病毒傳染，我覺得很有意義。」 與牛津研究團隊合作 為期六個月的實習，Shaikh參與了伊波拉病毒藥 物設計項目。該項目由牛津大學結構生物學分部 主任David Stuart教授負責。該世界級研究小組 一直專注於研究不同大小的病毒其結構與功能之 間關係的複雜問題，通過創新實驗和計算技術去 解決病毒受體的相互作用和病毒組裝的難題。 Shaikh研究針對伊波拉病毒藥物設計的計算方 法，通過計算機模擬和基於片段的分子對接，探 討原子層面的病毒活動，尤其是病毒如何進入宿 主細胞，同時研究能有效抑制病毒附著和細胞膜 融合的方法。研究目的是找到有希望研發成針對 伊波拉病毒藥物的化合物。 驚人的學習成果 伊波拉是一種致命病毒，會引起嚴重的病毒出 血熱，致死率極高。在四個月內，Shaikh參與 的研究團隊通過電腦分析對九百萬種化合物進 行篩選，希望找到能與伊波拉病毒結合從而使 其失去穩定性的化合物。「我在牛津大學的時 間不多，所以必須分秒必爭。我們找到一些 能和伊波拉病毒結合的化合物。我列表裡的四 種化合物被牛津購買，令我覺得很驕傲也很高 興。每種化合物的成本各不相同。所有化合物 的總成本大概是一千美金。」 Shaikh在牛津取得的成果遠遠超出其想像。一開 始，Shaikh只想看看牛津研究團隊是如何開展研 究工作的。後來他自己的研究工作進展的很順 利，而且從中獲得一個新發現。「我們還確定了 和伊波拉病毒醣蛋白結合的化合物的晶體結構。 ! e outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has claimed more than 10,000 lives since 2014. Faraz Mohammadali Shaikh, a doctoral student from the University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), has developed compounds that destabilise Ebola during his recent internship at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG), University of Oxford, United Kingdom. ‘It’s motivating to be part of the project and chart a path to end this epidemic,’ he says. Work with Oxford Research Group During his six-month internship, Shaikh participated in a drug design project against the Ebola virus. ! is project was headed by Prof David Stuart, director of Oxford’s Division of Structural Biology. ! e world-class research group at the division is focused on using innovative experimental and computational techniques to solve the complex problems of structure-function relationship of viruses of di" erent sizes, as well as the puzzles of virus-receptor interactions and virus assembly. Shaikh’s job was to work on the computational methods for designing drugs against Ebola. He used computer simulations and fragment-based molecular docking to explore viral activity – in particular how the virus enters the host cell – at the atomic level, and to investigate ways to e" ectively inhibit virus attachment and membrane fusion. ! e goal of this research project is to identify chemical entities as potential candidates for developing drugs against Ebola. Stunning Learning Outcome Ebola is a highly virulent pathogen which can cause a severe haemorrhagic fever with a high death rate. In four months, the research group scanned 9 million compounds through computational analysis in order to obtain compounds that Shaikh在英國牛津大學人類基因學威爾康信託中心進行實習 Shaikh does his internship at WTCHG 39 umagazine issue 16
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