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Cytopathic SARS-CoV-2 screening on VERO-E6 cells in a large-scale repurposing effort
Andrea Zaliani1,2, Laura Vangeel3, Jeanette Reinshagen4,5
1Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Schnackenburgallee 114, 22525, Hamburg, Germany. andrea.zaliani@itmp.fraunhofer.de.
Scientific Data
|July 13, 2022
Summary
Researchers screened 8702 molecules to find new COVID-19 treatments. They identified 18 existing drugs with potential, supporting drug repurposing for faster therapeutic development against SARS-CoV-2.
Area of Science:
- Drug discovery and development
- Virology
- Infectious diseases
Background:
- Intensive global efforts focus on repurposing drugs for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.
- Dexamethasone and remdesivir are known treatments, but a broader therapeutic repertoire is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel therapeutic compounds for COVID-19 through drug repurposing.
- To expand the range of available anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents.
- To discover compounds with new mechanisms of action against viral infections.
Main Methods:
- Phenotypic screening of 8702 molecules from repurposing libraries.
- Identification of compounds with anti-cytopathic activity (IC50 < 20 µM).
- Evaluation of safety index (SI > 2) for potential therapeutic candidates.
Main Results:
- 110 compounds demonstrated anti-cytopathic effects against SARS-CoV-2.
- 18 of these compounds are existing marketed drugs with a safety index greater than 2.
- These 18 drugs are suitable for further investigation as COVID-19 therapies.
Conclusions:
- Systematic drug repurposing is a valid and effective strategy for accelerating drug discovery.
- The identified marketed drugs represent promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment development.
- This approach can significantly contribute to expanding therapeutic options against viral infections.
