Drug Weaponry to Fight Against SARS-CoV-2

Front Mol Biosci. 2020 Aug 25:7:204. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00204. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

The current outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused a large increase in mortality and morbidity associated with respiratory diseases. Huge efforts are currently ongoing to develop a vaccine against this virus. However, alternative approaches could be considered in the fight against this disease. Among other strategies, structural-based drug design could be an effective approach to generate specific molecules against SARS-CoV-2, thus reducing viral burden in infected patients. Here, in addition to this structural approach, we also revise several therapeutic strategies to fight against this viral threat. Furthermore, we report ACE-2 genetic polymorphic variants affecting residues involved in close contacts with SARS-CoV-2 that might be associated to different infection risks. These analyses could provide valuable information to predict the course of the disease.

Keywords: ACE-2; Covid-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; drugs; polymorphisms; spike.

Publication types

  • Review