Repurposing of Host Signal Transduction Inhibitors to Treat Emerging Viral Infection

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, a large number of small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) have been designed and synthesized for specific cellular targets that are involved in mechanisms promoting chronic pathogenic diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, etc. While these compounds have been shown to be effective in cell culture and have found routine use in carrying out controlled studies in the lab, most of these SMIs have shown little efficacy in the clinic for treating the pathologies for which they were designed; therefore, their repurposing is of keen interest to the medical and scientific communities.

Most effective antiviral therapies directly target viral proteins necessary for the attachment to and entry into the host cell or viral replication, but they require a lengthy process to first identify the genomic sequence of the virus, its associated proteins and the structure and function of these viral proteins in order to design a targeted therapeutic. In addition, due to the high rate of mutagenesis associated with many viruses, the design of a targeted therapy for the virus is made more difficult by the emergence of resistant viral progeny. The recent global pandemic involving SARS-CoV-2 has made it clear that the window between the emergence of viral pathogens and the development of a specifically targeted viral therapy or an effective vaccine should offer other effective options. As viruses require and hijack host machinery and mechanisms, the potential use of small molecule inhibitors to target the host machinery that the virus needs is evident, but studies of these compounds and their use cannot wait until the next pandemic. This Special Edition is both a call for information and a call to action associated with the potential use of SMIs in treating various viral pathogens. Cell culture studies, pharmacologic studies, reviews and clinical trials on effective (and non-effective) repurposing approaches for SMIs will be welcomed. 

Dr. William Blalock
Guest Editor

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• SARS-CoV-2
• virus
• small-molecule inhibitors
• translation
• inflammation/stress
• ribosome biogenesis
• cell cycle
• innate immunity.