Enzymes as Antiviral Targets
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 14479
Special Issue Editors
Interests: hepatology; viral hepatitis; liver disease; innate immunity; antivirals
Interests: viral replication and entry; antivirals; capsid protein; HIV
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Viral enzymes have been the targets of antiviral strategies for several decades, which has informed drug development efforts that have resulted in effective therapeutics across multiple virus families. With the advancement of molecular virology, we have gained insights into the role of individual viral proteins in the replication cycle of targeted viruses. Among these proteins, the viral enzymes have been the core of multiple drug development programs. This is in part due to their specificity over host proteins as well as due to our ability to develop quantitative assays for drug screens. In addition, the revolution that has taken place in the fields of medicinal chemistry and computational molecular modeling has greatly enhanced our ability to develop very potent inhibitors that target viral enzymes. Examples of this success include the development of viral polymerase inhibitors that are now approved drugs against herpes virus (HSV-1), human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and more recently SARS-CoV-2. It is worth mentioning that the polymerase inhibitors against HCV not only suppress viral replication but also lead to a cure against this deadly virus. The introduction of HIV-1 protease inhibitors gave rise to the first successful combination therapies that led to life-changing therapeutic regimens and established multi-target combination antiviral strategies. With novel drug formulation and delivery approaches, long-acting antivirals that target viral proteins have also made a significant breakthrough in antiviral treatments. Together, these advances have positively impacted the course of epidemics and were able to prevent millions of deaths. The future seems even brighter as more viral proteins become targets of drug development programs and combination strategies achieve better barriers to resistance. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is urgent to develop therapeutics that effectively fight viruses before and during the course of an epidemic or pandemic; towards this goal, viral enzymes have been the major targets.
In this Special Issue of Viruses, we aim to discuss the recent developments and breakthroughs of antivirals that target viral proteins, examining them at the molecular level with respect to special mechanisms of action and resistance, as well as exploring new methods of drug formulation, drug delivery, and toxicology profiles. With these goals in mind, we invite you to contribute your most recent research findings and insights with original research papers, technical advancements, or review articles.
Dr. Eleftherios Michailidis
Prof. Dr. Stefan G. Sarafianos
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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