This technology is a strategy to attack coronaviruses, including the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, via targeted polymerase inhibition.
Coronaviruses such as the newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, as well as the viruses that cause SARS and MERS, have resulted in public health emergencies worldwide. The recent appearance of SARS-CoV-2 has grown into a worldwide pandemic, with growing fear of more outbreaks in the future. While SARS-CoV-2 has been sequenced and visualized using electron microscopy, little is known about effective therapeutic options against the virus. There is an urgent need for therapeutic strategies to target SARS-CoV-2, in order to intervene against COVID-19 pathogenesis and contain outbreaks in the future.
This technology describes a strategy to design and synthesize viral polymerase inhibitors for treatment of coronaviruses. The therapeutic strategy utilizes an existing prodrug approach along with unique nucleotide analogues that function as reversible terminators for DNA sequencing. The nucleotide analogues only act on viral polymerases, allowing for specific viral targeting with minimal side effects to the host. Once incorporated, this technology will permanently inhibit viral replication, despite viral mutations. These modified nucleotide analogues are potent polymerase inhibitors, and can be used against various viral diseases, including but not limited to coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
IR CU20241
Licensing Contact: Cynthia Lang
