Advances in Antiviral Agents against SARS-CoV-2 and Its Variants 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with 610 million reported cases and 6.5 million deaths, represents the worst pandemic in the last 100 years. Since 2020, in order to find effective treatments that can contain and limit infections, the scientific community has stepped up efforts to identify cures for COVID-19 at an unprecedented speed, with huge achievements being made in molecular virology, biological screening platforms, and drug discovery. In parallel with the search for drugs, several vaccines have been validated, which have proven effective in containing the spread of the pandemic. Despite the doses of vaccines, most of the population has been infected with the virus, often showing mild or severe symptoms of the infection. The third dose of the vaccine was needed to counter the emerging viral variants. Although part of the SARS-CoV-2 biology has been characterized in these two years and some drugs have been approved for treatment, progress should continue to be made, with regard to antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, for any infections caused by emerging and re-emerging viruses.

Researchers have been following different antiviral strategies targeting viral or host factors. The viral main protease and polymerase are currently the most known viral enzymes that, being highly conserved, hold promise for broad-spectrum inhibitors. Moreover, other nonstructural proteins essential for viral replication are still underexploited, such as the nsp13 helicase/NTPase, the nsp14/nsp16 methyltransferase, and the papain-like protease. In parallel, entry inhibitors targeting spike-mediated viral fusion or host endosomal, or membrane proteases, have demonstrated promising results in a preclinical setting. In general, the field of host-targeting agents represents a research area worthy of being explored.

This Special Issue is focused on Advances in Antiviral Agents against SARS-CoV-2 and its Variants and the development of new therapies, including antivirals and vaccine development.

Prof. Dr. Francesca Esposito
Guest Editor

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