Development of new antiviral compounds

Herpesviruses cause severe diseases, particularly in immunocompromised and immune-naive individuals. Currently approved anti-herpesvirus drugs have important drawbacks, including limited efficacy, toxicities, and drug resistance, driving a need for new, improved agents. We have been exploring new targets for anti-herpesvirus drugs starting with a combination of structural, biochemical, and genetic studies. Using high throughput screening, we have identified compounds that selectively inhibit such targets in vitro, with some compounds selectively inhibiting viral replication in cell culture. We have evidence that at least one of these compounds “hits the target” in infected cells. We propose to optimize this compound into leads for further development towards anti-herpesvirus drugs.