Antiviral drug discovery strategy based on Raman imaging technology

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Pharmacology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Antiviral drug discovery is slow and complex.
• Current methods lack mechanistic insight and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a mechanism-guided strategy for rapid antiviral candidate identification.
• Utilize confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) for label-free drug efficacy assessment.

Main Methods:

• Employed CRM for quantitative, spatially resolved, single-cell analysis.
• Correlated subcellular biochemical changes (lipids, nucleic acids, proteins) with virus-induced alterations.
• Evaluated alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) against influenza A virus (IAV) in cell and animal models.

Main Results:

• CRM revealed ALA restored lipid homeostasis, preserved nucleic acid integrity, and normalized protein profiles in infected cells.
• Observed spatial concordance between biochemical recovery and cellular architecture.
• Demonstrated CRM's utility in ex vivo lung tissue analysis.

Conclusions:

• CRM provides a rapid, mechanism-informed platform for prioritizing antiviral candidates.
• This approach bridges molecular pharmacology and phenotypic response.
• Accelerates the translation of antiviral leads into preclinical development.