Publication date: Dec 11, 2024

He also realized that drugs targeting viral methyltransferase distinct in structure from the human enzyme will be highly selective and not impair human enzyme function. The findings not only validate viral methyltransferases as promising therapeutic target, but also suggest that Tuschl’s particular inhibitor would have minimal side effects. And after he restructured his lab during the pandemic to focus on antiviral drug discovery, Tuschl realized there were clear advantages to looking beyond protease inhibitors. Tuschl and colleagues also demonstrated that the treatment remained effective even if the virus mutated in response to it, and that there was synergy when combined with protease inhibitors. Researchers working to stay ahead of such emerging threats have now identified a wholly new way to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections — work that may have even broader implications. “Inhibiting methyltransferase required using a non-conventional RNA substrate adding a new challenge to drug to discovery,” Tuschl says. But like many antivirals before it, scientists know that at some point, Paxlovid is likely to lose some efficacy due to drug resistance.

Semantics