Virus-Host Interactions: From Mechanisms to Therapeutics
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 4048
Special Issue Editors
Interests: emerging virus; virus–host interactions; antiviral drugs
Interests: viral-host interplay; SARS-CoV; influenza A virus; site-targeted antivirals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic viruses are diverse and uncertain, and the structures and compositions of these viruses differ greatly, but they are a class of strict intracellular parasites that need to complete their life cycles by utilizing host cell components and functions. Viruses use cell receptors to enter and then manipulate or hijack the host for self-replication. At the same time, the host might suppress the infection and viral replication by activating innate immunity and enforcing host restriction factors. By discovering and identifying host factors that promote or limit the virus, not only can we better understand the life cycle of the virus, but we can also provide potential host-directed antiviral therapy. Among the intensive virus–host counteractions, some pathways and interactions have commonality and similarities in a variety of viruses, providing feasible targets for broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. Such broad-targeting antivirals can not only prevent the spread and mutation of existing viruses but also cope with outbreaks of unknown new viruses. To date, host-directed therapy has been validated in treatment against Bunyavirus, SARS-CoV-2 and flavivirus. Studies on more host factors that affect the replication cycles of viruses will help us to develop new drugs to prevent the invasion, replication, assembly and budding of viruses during their life cycles.
This Special Issue will provide an up-to-date review of the latest progress and technologies in host-directed antiviral therapy, with important virus-associated host factors used as potential targets based on the host function dependence characteristic of a virus’ life cycle.
Dr. Leike Zhang
Prof. Dr. Ke Xu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- host-directed antivirals
- antiviral agents
- drug resistance
- host factors
- viral–host interplay
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