Flemish scientists have discovered two different molecules that can hinder the development of coronavirus in the body. Both molecules block the membrane protein that plays an important role in the development of coronavirus. The molecules could become a building block for a new, easy-to-use drug against SARS-CoV-2, the official name of what most people call coronavirus.
Flemish researchers discover potential building blocks for new coronavirus inhibitor
Colin Clapson
Published:
Patients who today contract a serious infection can resort to various virus inhibitors that can be used against coronavirus. But these do have their drawbacks.
As a result, the search for a new, more convenient anti-corona drug continues. Not only for patients who might need it now, but also in the event of a possible new pandemic.
Two different research teams, both led by Flemish scientists, have discovered two molecules that could play an important role in this.
‘It is important that we have broad-spectrum virus inhibitors at our disposal to deal with the different virus families that have the potential to grow into a pandemic,’ says virologist Johan Neyts (KU Leuven). ‘That’s why we need to identify the weak spots in the multiplication cycle.’
Weakness that has now been discovered is the membrane protein of SARS-CoV-2, called the M-protein for short. It plays a very important role in the composition of the coronavirus. Blocking the M-protein during its evolution from a short to a longer variant halts the formation of the virus particle, the teams discovered.
A European research team led by Neyts and Patrick Chaltin (CD3, Leuven University) tested as many as 350,000 different molecules against SARS-CoV-2. This allowed them to identify a virus inhibitor. They then studied how that molecule stops the virus multiplying and discovered that it also prevents the virus from assembling.
The same approach had previously been used to discover building blocks for hepatitis C and dengue virus inhibitors.
The CIM-834 molecule proved very successful in blocking the SARS-CoV-2M-protein. Their research now appears in the scientific journal Nature . Leuven University's virology team also collaborated in other research led by molecular pharmacologist Ellen Van Damme (Johnson & Johnson). That in turn came up with the molecule named JNJ-9676 .