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Published on: January 26, 2016
Identification of a macrocyclic compound targeting the lassa virus polymerase
Virginia Aida-Ficken1, Jamie A Kelly2, Payel Chatterjee2
1Viral Special Pathogens Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Researchers screened nearly 60,000 compounds to find treatments for Lassa virus (LASV). The potent compound Mac128 showed significant activity against LASV, inhibiting viral replication.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Drug Discovery
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Lassa virus (LASV) causes severe hemorrhagic fever with no approved treatments.
- Urgent need for effective antiviral therapies against LASV infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify novel compounds with anti-LASV activity.
- To discover potential therapeutics for Lassa virus disease.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a large-scale cell-based screening of nearly 60,000 compounds.
- Utilized an infectious reporter LASV in a biosafety level 4 laboratory.
- Evaluated compound efficacy using EC50 values and viral titer reduction.
Main Results:
- Identified several macrocyclic compounds with anti-LASV activity.
- The lead compound, Mac128, demonstrated sub-micromolar EC50 against the reporter virus.
- Mac128 inhibited wild-type clade IV LASV and reduced viral titers by four orders of magnitude.
Conclusions:
- Mac128 is a potent inhibitor of Lassa virus replication.
- Mechanistic studies indicate inhibition occurs at the viral polymerase level.
- Mac128 represents a promising lead for developing new Lassa virus therapeutics.
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