Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agents

Dear Colleagues,

The global outbreak of COVID-19 is a great threat to humans. There is an urgent need for antiviral therapeutics against SARS-CoV2. A strategy to discover effective antiviral drugs consists of screening existing broad-spectrum antiviral agents for activity against SARS-CoV2. In addition to COVID-19, many other epidemic viral diseases, such as influenza, dengue fever, infections by Zika and Ebola viruses, and western/eastern equine encephalitis, cannot yet be successfully treated.

Developing broad-spectrum antiviral agents to treat epidemic diseases caused by emerging and re-emerging viruses is a priority. To this end, the main approaches are based on targeting viral infectivity and modulating host-defense systems. The antiviral mechanisms of broad-spectrum antiviral candidates should be deeply analyzed in the context of different types of viral diseases. This Special Issue aims to collect studies on broad-spectrum antiviral agents, including existing agents repositioning, herbal components, synthesized compounds, and genetically engineered molecules.

Broad-spectrum antiviral agents hold great potential for controlling viral epidemics in the future.

Prof. Dr. Cheng-Wen Lin
Dr. Szu-Hao Kung
Topic Editors