Progress on COVID-19 Chemotherapeutics Discovery and Novel Technology

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 27; no. 23; p. 8257
• Main Authors: Zhou, Yalan, Wang, Huizhen, Yang, Li, Wang, Qingzhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.11.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Antiviral agents; Antiviral Agents - chemistry; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Antiviral drugs; Bioavailability; Biosynthesis; Chemotherapy; China; Clinical trials; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; CRISPR/Cas; Cytokine storm; deep learning; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Drug development; drug target; Drug therapy; Enzymes; Epidemics; Experiments; Genomes; Humans; Interferon; multiomics analysis; Pandemics; Proteins; Review; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Technology; Vaccines; Viral infections; Viruses; China; COVID-19; deep learning; SARS-CoV-2; multiomics analysis; CRISPR/Cas; drug target
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules27238257

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel highly contagious and pathogenic coronavirus that emerged in late 2019. SARS-CoV-2 spreads primarily through virus-containing droplets and small particles of air pollution, which greatly increases the risk of inhaling these virus particles when people are in close proximity. COVID-19 is spreading across the world, and the COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to human health and public safety. To date, there are no specific vaccines or effective drugs against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we focus on the enzyme targets of the virus and host that may be critical for the discovery of chemical compounds and natural products as antiviral drugs, and describe the development of potential antiviral drugs in the preclinical and clinical stages. At the same time, we summarize novel emerging technologies applied to the research on new drug development and the pathological mechanisms of COVID-19.