Natural, Semisynthetic, and Synthetic Antiviral Drugs Targeting HIV and SARS-CoV-2

Dear Colleagues,

Viruses cause massive public health concerns, mainly due to their mutagenesis, which might result in spillovers, escape of the humoral response, and drug resistance. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are two distinct viruses that cause different diseases and have various modes of action, transmission, and impact on human health. The first one is a respiratory virus of the genus betacoronavirus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; severe cases of this condition may require hospitalization), while the other is a retrovirus belonging to the genus lentivirus that might cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS, which leads to opportunistic infections and cancers if left untreated). While HIV/AIDS remains a chronic, manageable condition with ongoing prevention and treatment efforts, SARS-CoV-2 has highlighted the acute need for rapid response and vaccination to control a pandemic. Since both HIV and SARS-CoV-2 have had profound impacts on global health, albeit in different ways, advances in medicine and public health continue to evolve in response to these viruses, aiming to reduce transmission, morbidity, and mortality associated with these infectious diseases.

In this sense, to achieve an up-to-date point of view of antiviral development to target HIV or SARS-CoV-2, this Special Issue focuses on the recent scientific and technical progress made in medicinal chemistry. Based on your extensive knowledge and experience, we are pleased to invite you to contribute original research articles to promote and highlight the discovery and importance of antivirals through multidisciplinary tasks involving (but not limited to) virology, biophysics, biochemistry, biology, and chemistry. Review articles are also welcome, especially those describing trends and challenges in antiviral discovery, biophysical characterization of the interaction target antivirals, antiviral mechanisms, and analytical chemistry applied to virology.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Otávio Augusto Chaves
Dr. Carlos Serpa
Guest Editors

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