Therapeutic Strategies Against COVID-19 and Structural Characterization of SARS-CoV-2: A Review

• Main Authors: Gi Uk Jeong, Hanra Song, Gun Young Yoon, Doyoun Kim, Young-Chan Kwon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Microbiology
• Subjects: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; 2019-nCoV; antiviral agents; therapeutic strategies; crystal structure
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01723/full

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, or 2019-nCoV, which originated in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in December 2019, is a grave threat to public health worldwide. A total of 3,672,238 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 254,045 deaths were reported globally up to May 7, 2020. However, approved antiviral agents for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 remain unavailable. Drug repurposing of approved antivirals against other viruses such as HIV or Ebola virus is one of the most practical strategies to develop effective antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2. A combination of repurposed drugs can improve the efficacy of treatment, and structure-based drug design can be employed to specifically target SARS-CoV-2. This review discusses therapeutic strategies using promising antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2. In addition, structural characterization of potentially therapeutic viral or host cellular targets associated with COVID-19 have been discussed to refine structure-based drug design strategies.