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Metallodrugs: Novel Antiviral Strategy for Treatment of COVID-19 - SciTechDaily

Metallodrugs: Novel Antiviral Strategy for Treatment of COVID-19 - SciTechDaily

Metallodrugs: Novel Antiviral Strategy for Treatment of COVID-19 - SciTechDaily
Oct 19, 2020 2 mins, 16 secs

By The University of Hong Kong.

Through kicking out the crucial zinc(II) ions in the zinc-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 helicase, RBC demonstrated its ability to potently suppress the replication of SARS-CoV-2.

Credit: The University of Hong Kong.

HKU scientists and microbiologists jointly discover a novel antiviral strategy for treatment of COVID-19 using existing metallodrugs.

A research team led by Professor Hongzhe SUN, Norman & Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, and Professor Kwok Yung YUEN, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has discovered a novel antiviral strategy for treatment of COVID-19. .

They discovered that a class of metallodrugs currently used in the treatment of other infectious diseases is showing efficacy to potently suppress SARS-CoV-2 replication and relieve viral-associated symptoms in an animal model.

Credit: The University of Hong Kong.

As the process of developing an effective vaccine is still ongoing, another approach for prevention and treatment of the disease is to identify anti-COVID-19 agents from existing virus-specific antiviral drugs to repurpose their uses to target the new virus.

Clinical trials on a series of antiviral agents are still ongoing which have yet to demonstrate therapeutic efficacies.

Generally, metal compounds are used as anti-microbial agents; their antiviral activities have rarely been explored.

The finding indicates a wide window between the drug’s cytotoxicity and antiviral activity, which allows a great flexibility in adjusting its dosages for treatment.

Hopefully, following this important breakthrough, more antiviral agents from readily available clinically approved drugs could be identified for potential treatment of COVID-19 infections.

Reference: “Metallodrug ranitidine bismuth citrate suppresses SARS-CoV-2 replication and relieves virus-associated pneumonia in Syrian hamsters” by Shuofeng Yuan, Runming Wang, Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan, Anna Jinxia Zhang, Tianfan Cheng, Kenn Ka-Heng Chik, Zi-Wei Ye, Suyu Wang, Andrew Chak-Yiu Lee, Lijian Jin, Hongyan Li, Dong-Yan Jin, Kwok-Yung Yuen and Hongzhe Sun, 7 October 2020, Nature Microbiology.

The work was supported by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong,  the National Key R&D Programmes of China, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Seed Fund for Basic Research and donations from the Lo Ying Shek Chi Wai Foundation, Richard Yu and Carol Yu, the Shaw Foundation of Hong Kong, Michael Seak-Kan Tong, May Tam Mak Mei Yin, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Hui Ming, Hui Hoy and Chow Sin Lan Charity Fund Limited, Chan Yin Chuen Memorial Charitable Foundation, Marina Man-Wai Lee, the Hong Kong Hainan Commercial Association South China Microbiology Research Fund, the Jessie & George Ho Charitable Foundation, Perfect Shape Medical Limited, Kai Chong Tong, Foo Oi Foundation Limited, Tse Kam Ming Laurence, and Norman & Cecilia Yip Foundation

October 16, 2020

October 15, 2020

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