Exploiting the SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 3'-5'-exoribonuclease as a target for antiviral chemotherapy

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Many viruses can mutate, or change, their genetic material rapidly. This means that they can avoid our immune system or become resistant to antiviral drugs. This is not the case for coronaviruses as they possess a protein that corrects the errors made by the virus during the production of new viral genetic material. This also means that they are resistant to some antiviral drugs that work by increasing the rate of mutation, inducing fatal errors. This project will use a computer-based approach to identify drugs that can inhibit this error-correcting protein. The structure of the error-correcting protein is known and we will use sophisticated computer algorithms to screen large collections of drugs to identify those that are able to bind to the protein and block its function. Such drugs could be used in combination with mutation-inducing drugs to effectively prevent the virus from growing and thus have clinical benefit for patients suffering from COVID-19 disease, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus