We are developing new small molecule scaffolds that disrupt human cell processes hijacked by multiple viruses for replication and colonization. They represent an entirely new drug class with potential activity against a wide range of pathogenic viruses.

One of these processes is RNA splicing, required for the expression of specific viral proteins during infection by viruses such as HIV, influenza, Herpes, Adenovirus, Varicella zoster, Papilloma, Coronavirus and Hepatitis b. This process, performed by the host cell’s RNA-processing machinery, generates transcripts that encode structural, regulatory, and accessory viral proteins. Another process involves the host cell endoplasmic reticulum functions; these cellular functions are co-opted by viruses such as Dengue, West Nile, Hepatitis C, and Coronavirus to promote different steps of the viral life cycle including entry, replication, assembly, and egress.


Specific host cell pathways regulate these processes, and inhibitors of these pathways have significant therapeutic potential. This approach can be applied to the development of novel drugs for the treatment of infections caused by COVID-19. This coronavirus is the cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome, currently plaguing the world. Furthermore, proteomic studies of COVID-19-infected host cells revealed that RNA- splicing is an essential process required for COVID-19 replication [Bojkova, D. et al. Nature  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2332-7  (2020) ]