Vir2Drug: a drug repurposing framework based on protein similarities between pathogens

Area of Science:

• Computational biology
• Infectious disease research
• Drug discovery

Background:

• Identifying effective treatments for novel or re-emerging pathogens is a significant challenge.
• Drug repurposing offers a faster alternative to de novo drug development, especially during outbreaks.
• Understanding pathogen-host protein interactions is key to targeted therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Vir2Drug, a novel network-based tool for identifying and ranking repurposed drug candidates against specific pathogens.
• To leverage pathogen-pathogen protein similarities and host-pathogen interactions for drug discovery.
• To provide a valuable resource for combating infectious diseases, particularly during viral outbreaks.

Main Methods:

• Development of Vir2Drug, a web tool utilizing network-based approaches.
• Integration of pathogen-to-pathogen networks based on protein similarities.
• Incorporation of pathogen taxonomy and drug-target information (pathogen and host proteins).
• Screening of drugs using methodologies considering host or pathogen protein targets.

Main Results:

• Vir2Drug effectively identifies and ranks candidate drugs for specific pathogens.
• The tool combines multiple data sources for a comprehensive drug repurposing framework.
• Demonstrates utility in identifying potential treatments against known and unknown pathogens.

Conclusions:

• Vir2Drug is an informative tool for drug repurposing, crucial for managing infectious disease outbreaks.
• The network-based strategy aids in prioritizing drugs when vaccines are not yet available.
• Facilitates rapid response to emerging infectious threats through computational drug discovery.