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2001 ASPET Otto Krayer Award Lecture. Molecular targets for antiviral agents

E De Clercq1

  • 1Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. erik.declercq@rega.kuleuven.ac.be

The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
|March 22, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Antiviral chemotherapeutics target specific viral processes like replication and entry. These drugs, including nucleoside and non-nucleoside agents, are crucial for treating diverse human viral infections.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Medical Chemistry

Background:

  • Virus replication involves specific cellular and viral processes.
  • These processes, including adsorption, entry, reverse transcription, and DNA polymerization, are targets for antiviral drugs.

Discussion:

  • Chemotherapeutic agents, both nucleoside and non-nucleoside, are designed to inhibit viral replication.
  • These agents selectively target viral enzymes and cellular processes crucial for viral proliferation.

Key Insights:

  • Identification of nucleoside and non-nucleoside drugs that inhibit viral targets.
  • Development of antiviral therapies for a broad spectrum of human viral pathogens.

Outlook:

  • Clinical use of antiviral agents for treating infections caused by HIV, HBV, HSV, VZV, CMV, HPV, influenza, RSV, and Ebola virus.
  • Continued research into novel chemotherapeutic interventions for viral diseases.

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