Drug targets for corona virus: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Drug Discovery
• Structural Biology

Background:

• The 2019-novel coronavirus (nCoV) poses a significant global health threat.
• A critical unmet need exists for specific antiviral drugs to prevent and treat coronavirus (CoV) infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and review major druggable targets within coronaviruses (CoVs).
• To inform drug design strategies for novel antiviral therapies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed and RCSB databases.
• Keywords included various CoV designations (HCoV, nCoV, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, 2019-nCoV) and structural biology terms (crystal structure, X-ray crystallography, NMR structure, target, drug target).
• Data compilation and analysis of identified viral targets.

Main Results:

• Seven major druggable targets were identified: spike protein, envelope protein, membrane protein, protease, nucleocapsid protein, hemagglutinin esterase, and helicase.
• An additional 16 nonstructural proteins (NSPs) were recognized as potential targets for drug design.
• Both structural proteins and NSPs are important for therapeutic intervention.

Conclusions:

• Identified CoV targets provide a foundation for developing specific antiviral drugs.
• Frequent recombination events in CoVs present a significant challenge for developing universal vaccines and drugs.
• Further research into these targets is essential for advancing coronavirus therapeutics.