Exploring non-traditional targets for antiviral therapy – novel inhibitors of viral methyltransferases

0567306 - ÚOCHB 2023 RIV CZ eng A - Abstract
Nencka, Radim - Otava, Tomáš - Krafčíková, Petra - Klíma, Martin - Li, F. - Eyer, Luděk - Devkota, K. - Perveen, S. - Dejmek, Milan - Šála, Michal - Allan, Anthony - Štefek, Milan - Vedadi, M. - Růžek, Daniel - Bouřa, Evžen
Exploring non-traditional targets for antiviral therapy – novel inhibitors of viral methyltransferases.
Czech Chemical Society Symposium Series. Roč. 20, č. 6 (2022), s. 349-349. ISSN 2336-7202.
[Annual meeting of the National Institute of Virology and Bacteriology (NIVB) /1./. 30.11.2022-02.12.2022, Kutná Hora]
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LX22NPO5103
Institutional support: RVO:61388963 ; RVO:60077344
Keywords : methyltransferase * antiviral * RNA viruses
OECD category: Virology
http://www.ccsss.cz/index.php/ccsss/issue/view/37/67

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus clearly demonstrates the devastating effects on asignificant portion of the world's population. This pandemic highlights our poor preparedness for such situations, both at the level of prevention and therapy. It is alarming that despite two clear signals of two coronavirus outbreaks, SARS and MERS,1there were no antivirals in our portfolio against these important and dangerous pathogens. The same is true for many other viral diseases. It can be assumed that many seemingly low-danger RNA viruses that normally cause only trivial illnesses have the potential to mutate, or viruses similar to them may emerge and cause a very significant danger to our society as a whole. For several years, our group has been working on research of new antivirals specifically against selected RNA viruses, whether they are viruses that primarily cause respiratory diseases, such as coronaviruses, or RNA viruses transmitted by certain vector species, such as mosquitoes or ticks, e.g. Flaviviruses. Although our group is also interested in traditional viral targets, e.g. viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases2, in recent years we have become interested in less conventional targets for antiviral therapy, in particular viral methyltransferases.3This talk will therefore focus primarily on these proteins, their structure4, the design of inhibitors5and their biological activity (Figiure 1).
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0338566