May 24th 2022

CARE paper published in Journal of Medical Virology: Development and optimization of a high-throughput screening assay for in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

CARE paper published in Journal of Medical Virology: Development and optimization of a high-throughput screening assay for in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity

The CARE partners KU Leuven and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, in collaboration with The Institute of Medical Virology published a paper reporting on the outcomes from screening a library of antiviral compounds to assess effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 as part of the emergency response to the pandemic. Although vaccines are currently used to control the COVID-19 pandemic, treatment options are urgently needed for those who cannot be vaccinated and for future coronavirus outbreaks. A high-throughput, high content imaging–based SARS-CoV-2 infection assay was developed and used to screen a library of 5676 compounds that passed Phase 1 clinical trials. Eight drugs were identified as inhibitors of in vitro anti–SARS-CoV-2 activity. However, apart from remdesivir, toxicity and pharmacokinetic data did not support further clinical development of these compounds for COVID-19 treatment.

To learn more, read the paper in the Journal of Medical Virology:: Development and optimization of a high-throughput screening assay for in vitro anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity: Evaluation of 5676 Phase 1 Passed Structures