Modified inhibitors show promise against coronaviruses by targeting essential Mac1 protein domain

Publication date: Jul 02, 2025

This mechanism suggests these inhibitors, if further developed into an antiviral, could render coronavirus harmless. For this to happen, Fehr said more work is needed to refine the promising molecules. Cell membranes are greasy, hydrophobic barriers that keep things inside cells but also prevent certain molecules from enteringespecially charged molecules, like those with acid or base groups attached. “Fehr said that beyond drug discovery, involvement in COBRE helps faculty gain expertise that improves their ability to evaluate national antimicrobial research, strengthening the broader scientific community. “This paper is similar to our earlier work, though with a completely different set of inhibitors,” Fehr said. “The macrodomain is critical for the virus’s ability to cause disease,” said Anthony Fehr, associate professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Kansas, who led the research. These tools position us well to rapidly respond to potential future coronavirus outbreaks by identifying promising inhibitors. That was a big steptaking a molecule that had strong activity in vitro, modifying it and showing it could now work in cells against the actual virus.

Semantics