A Novel Approach of Antiviral Drugs Targeting Viral Genomes

Abstract

Outbreaks of viral diseases, which cause morbidity and mortality in animals and humans, are increasing annually worldwide. Vaccines, antiviral drugs, and antibody therapeutics are the most effective tools for combating viral infection. The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, in particular, raises an urgent need for the development of rapid and broad-spectrum therapeutics. Current antiviral drugs and antiviral antibodies, which are mostly specific at protein levels, have encountered difficulties because the rapid evolution of mutant viral strains resulted in drug resistance. Therefore, degrading viral genomes is considered a novel approach for developing antiviral drugs. The current article highlights all potent candidates that exhibit antiviral activity by digesting viral genomes such as RNases, RNA interference, interferon-stimulated genes 20, and CRISPR/Cas systems. Besides that, we introduce a potential single-chain variable fragment (scFv) that presents antiviral activity against various DNA and RNA viruses due to its unique nucleic acid hydrolyzing characteristic, promoting it as a promising candidate for broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.

Selenization of Small Molecule Drugs: A New Player on the Board

“…There is a growing body of evidence that resistance to antiviral drugs has become a major ongoing clinical issue. Besides, the discovery of novel molecules to treat viral infections has attracted considerable attention due to the high prevalence of these diseases, the appearance of new viral strains and re-emergence of some viruses, and the limited treatments available. − It is worth mentioning that a plethora of research is dedicated toward the synthesis of novel Se derivatives of a wide range of antivirals and the study of their pharmacological activities. − …”