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Repurposing clinically available drugs and therapies for pathogenic targets to combat SARS-CoV-2
Yiying Xue1, Husheng Mei2,3, Yisa Chen1
1Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology Tongji University Shanghai China.
Abstract:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected a large portion of the global population, both physically and mentally. Current evidence suggests that the rapidly evolving coronavirus subvariants risk rendering vaccines and antibodies ineffective due to their potential to evade existing immunity, with enhanced transmission activity and higher reinfection rates that could lead to new outbreaks across the globe. The goal of viral management is to disrupt the viral life cycle as well as to relieve severe symptoms such as lung damage, cytokine storm, and organ failure. In the fight against viruses, the combination of viral genome sequencing, elucidation of the structure of viral proteins, and identifying proteins that are highly conserved across multiple coronaviruses has revealed many potential molecular targets. In addition, the time- and cost-effective repurposing of preexisting antiviral drugs or approved/clinical drugs for these targets offers considerable clinical advantages for COVID-19 patients. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various identified pathogenic targets and pathways as well as corresponding repurposed approved/clinical drugs and their potential against COVID-19. These findings provide new insight into the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies that could be applied to the control of disease symptoms emanating from evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Insights
New therapeutic strategies are needed to combat evolving COVID-19 variants that evade immunity. This review explores repurposed drugs targeting conserved viral proteins to manage severe symptoms and control disease outbreaks.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Drug Discovery
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant physical and mental health challenges globally.
- Evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants threaten vaccine and antibody efficacy, increasing transmission and reinfection risks.
- Effective viral management requires disrupting the viral life cycle and mitigating severe symptoms like lung damage and cytokine storm.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of pathogenic targets and pathways in coronaviruses.
- To identify repurposed approved/clinical drugs with potential against COVID-19.
- To offer insights into novel therapeutic strategies for managing evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Main Methods:
- Review of current evidence on viral evolution and immune evasion.
- Analysis of viral genome sequencing and protein structure elucidation.
- Identification of conserved viral proteins as potential therapeutic targets.
- Assessment of drug repurposing for COVID-19 treatment.
Main Results:
- Multiple conserved molecular targets across coronaviruses have been identified.
- Repurposing existing antiviral or clinical drugs offers significant advantages for COVID-19 patients.
- Various approved/clinical drugs show potential against identified pathogenic targets and pathways.
Conclusions:
- Drug repurposing presents a time- and cost-effective strategy against COVID-19.
- Understanding conserved targets aids in developing therapies for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
- This review highlights promising therapeutic avenues for controlling COVID-19 symptoms and outbreaks.
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