Sunil Sapkota 50 Years Shine-Dalgarno Symposium 2023

Sunil Sapkota

I completed my PhD in 2022 from University of South Australia under the supervision of Prof. Greg Goodall and A/Prof. Cameron Bracken. My PhD was focused on miRNA regulating genes via the sites present in the coding region of the protein coding genes. I joined Hudson Institute to work as ECR with A/Prof. Michael Gantier in February 2022. Since then, I have been working on project to inhibit TLR7/8 using small fragments of synthetic oligonucleotide. I have screened 100s of small fragments of oligo sequences in both human and mouse cell line models and discovered sequences which can inhibit human and mouse TLR7. The invitro data was also validated in-vivo using several models including psoriasis or cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), TLR7 inhibiting oligonucleotide co-delivery with luc mRNA co-packaged with LNP. We now have a much in-depth insight into the mechanism how oligonucleotide modulates TLR7 and TLR8 activity as we have solved the crystal structure of TLR7 inhibiting oligo with TLR7 protein. I would like to present this story which we recently submitted for publication.