Targeting Arboviruses: From Drug Discovery to Therapeutic Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

Arboviral infections are a persistent and growing global health concern, causing significant public health, social, and economic impacts in many countries. Several factors, including changes in human behavior, climate change, and deforestation, have contributed to shifts in the geographic distribution of vectors, increasing the risk of arbovirus transmission. In the last few decades, several countries have experienced outbreaks and epidemics caused by arboviruses, such as the Dengue virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus, Yellow Fever virus, Chikungunya virus, and Oropouche virus. These viruses predominantly affect tropical and subtropical regions and, due to the lack of investment in the development of control strategies, some arboviral infections are classified as neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization. Licensed vaccines are available for the prevention of diseases caused by certain arboviruses, but vaccination currently faces several challenges. Additionally, there are still no specific antiviral drugs approved for the treatment of these infections. In this context, the development of new therapeutic approaches is urgently needed to improve the control of arboviral diseases.

This Special Issue aims to promote high-quality original research and reviews addressing the current landscape of innovative therapeutic strategies to control arboviral infections. Furthermore, we seek to support and stimulate new initiatives aimed at combating neglected tropical diseases caused by these viruses. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Rational design, synthesis, and antiviral evaluation of novel compounds targeting arboviruses;
• Bioprospecting of antiviral products derived from plants and microorganisms from marine and terrestrial environments;
• Biotechnological approaches applied to the development of antiviral therapeutics, including recombinant bioactive proteins, peptides, enzymes, antibodies, and RNA-based technologies;
• Drug repurposing strategies for the identification and development of novel therapeutics against arboviral infections;
• Discovery and optimization of antiviral products guided by computational approaches;
• Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems and formulation strategies to enhance the bioactivity of anti-arbovirus agents;
• Investigation of host–pathogen interactions and molecular targets relevant to antiviral therapy.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Vitor W. Rabelo
Dr. Leonardo dos Santos Corrêa Amorim
Dr. Caroline de Freitas
Dr. Suelen S. G. Dias
Guest Editors

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