A series of five benzimidazole-based compounds were identified using a machine learning algorithm as potential inhibitors of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein. These compounds were synthesized, and compound 2 in particular exhibited excellent in vitro potency with an EC50 value of 5 nM. This new scaffold was then further refined leading to the identification of compound 44, which exhibited a 10-fold improvement in activity with an EC50 value of 0.5 nM.
Keywords: RSV; benzimidazole; fusion inhibitor; machine learning.