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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds
Published on: October 29, 2015
Antiviral Drug Discovery To Address the COVID-19 Pandemic
1University of California San Diego, Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Medicine (Active Emeritus), Director, The HIV Institute, Co-Director, San Diego Center for AIDS Research, Florence Seeley Riford Chair in AIDS Research (Emeritus), La Jolla, California, USA drichman@ucsd.edu.
Abstract:
The magnitude of the morbidity and mortality inflicted upon the global population in less than 1 year has driven the inescapable conclusion that the discovery and development of effective antiviral drugs for COVID-19 are urgent and should be prioritized. The antiviral drug discovery programs that emerged for HIV and hepatitis C virus have enabled technology and expertise to accelerate this process for SARS-CoV-2. The description of candidate lead inhibitors for the viral main protease (Mpro) exemplifies this accelerated approach and reminds us of the needs and opportunities for addressing this pandemic.
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