Nanoparticles and bioactive materials against COVID-19 and its variants: Hints from a computational-materials design
Alexandre A de Castro1, Letícia C Assis1, Renan J C Appel2
1Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Lavras, CEP 37200-000 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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Society currently faces many challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak, known as SARS-CoV-2, and in addition, its variant strains tend to be still more aggressive. Therefore, there is an enormous need to accelerate the development of novel remediation techniques against SARS-CoV-2. A literature review focusing on key terms such as 'COVID-19', 'SARS-CoV-2', 'pharmacotherapy', 'pandemic', 'nanotechnology' and 'computational-materials design', accentuates the increased role played by in silico models in developing prevention, diagnosis, and the treatment strategies. In an attempt to help in the front line, computational repositioning of drugs has intensively been explored as a well-established strategy in preclinical research in order to discover an effective therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, computational-materials design-which integrates principles of materials science, physics, chemistry, and computer science-has emerged as an indispensable approach in the fight against COVID-19, accelerating the development of novel nanomaterials and bioactive compounds, and optimizing existing drugs for enhanced efficacy against the virus and its variants. Overall, in this review, we have demonstrated the vital role of computational-materials design strategies in diverse applications (such as diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments, as well as in understanding the fundamental mechanisms of the virus and its interactions with various advanced materials) to handle the current pandemic and pave the way toward future preparedness against emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
