Zika virus (ZikV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has spread across the Western Hemisphere in the past year and it has been defined by the World Health Organization as a serious global biological-threat. Currently, no vaccines or licensed antiviral drugs are available to block Zika infection and vector control efforts remain the only means to stop the spread of the infection.
The rapid development of a safe and effective ZikV therapy is a global health priority. For this reason, the design and development of new antiviral drugs, used for the treatment and control of ZikV, prove to be necessary.
Viral NS2B-NS3 protease processes viral polyprotein and is essential for virus replication, making it an attractive antiviral drug target. In the present study, starting from our hit compound, we focus on the identification of new Zika inhibitors by targeting the enzymatic activities of the NS3 protease. Beginning from our preliminary result, the aim of this research project is improving our structure-activity relationship knowledge by an exhaustive chemical modification of our starting hit compound.
Zika virus is the cause of significant viral disease-affecting humans. It has spread across the world rapidly and is becoming a serious public health concern owing to its link to severe neurological diseases such as fetal microcephaly and Guillain-Barrè syndrome in adults. In fact, Zika virus is known to cause fears as it infect pregnant women leading to disorders and new born with microencephaly (child with smaller head) with whole life handicap and missing a number of vital functions e.g. eyes, limbs, speech etc [1].
Till today diagnostic are only the choice to detect and prevent the Zika viruses. There is no claim in the world that any company has got the potential therapeutic molecule for Zika viruses.
Currently no licensed antiviral drugs are available to block Zika infection, and while vector control efforts remain the only means to stop the spread of the infection, they have not successfully inhibited annual epidemic outbreaks throughout the tropics [2]. There are no approved drugs or vaccines for Zika, mainly because scientists long assumed the virus was so benign that it wasn¿t worth the resources required to investigate treatment. Zika has not been widely examined, and while some early research noted that the virus could infect brain cells, the connection between Zika and microcephalya severe neurological birth defect is relatively new. Even now, many people who get infected will never know it, and if they start showing signs of infection, such as a rash, red eyes, fever or joint pain, doctors have little to offer other than advice to stay hydrated or take Tylenol as needed.
Vaccine development is under way at the National Institutes of Health. Scientists are tweaking a vaccine that was initially developed for the West Nile virus.
For these reasons specific antiviral therapeutics against ZIKV are urgently needed to fight this pandemic. In the present study, we focus on the identification of potential Zika inhibitors by targeting the enzymatic activities of the NS3 protease.
References. [1] Petersen, L.R. et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 2016, 374. [2] Tatem et al. 2006.