Antiviral Strategies Targeting Enteroviruses: Current Advances and Future Directions.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Enteroviruses (EVs) are a diverse genus causing significant human diseases like hand, foot, and mouth disease and aseptic meningitis.
• Despite their prevalence and outbreak potential, no specific antiviral treatments are approved for non-polio enterovirus infections.
• Current therapeutic options are limited, necessitating the development of novel antiviral strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of current and emerging antiviral strategies against enteroviruses.
• To examine direct-acting antivirals, host-targeting agents, and novel therapeutic approaches.
• To identify challenges and guide future research in enterovirus antiviral development.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing research on enterovirus antiviral therapies.
• Analysis of direct-acting antivirals (capsid binders, protease inhibitors, RNA polymerase inhibitors).
• Exploration of host-targeting agents, immunotherapies, RNA interference, CRISPR, and peptide-based antivirals.

Main Results:

• Multiple antiviral strategies are under investigation, including direct-acting and host-targeting agents.
• Emerging approaches like immunotherapies and gene-editing technologies show promise.
• Significant challenges remain, including viral diversity, drug resistance, and limitations of preclinical models.

Conclusions:

• A diverse range of antiviral strategies are being developed to combat enterovirus infections.
• Addressing viral diversity and resistance is crucial for effective therapy development.
• Continued research is essential to accelerate the discovery of urgently needed enterovirus therapies.