A research team at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently identified compounds that could be used to inhibit the replication of Zika virus and reduce its ability to kill brain cells.
The research team identified two classes of compounds effective against Zika by utilizing NCATS’ drug repurposing screening robots. One compound is antiviral, while the other prevents Zika-related brain cell death.
“The Zika virus poses a global health threat,” Dr. Anton Simeonov, scientific director for NCATS, said. “While we await the development of effective vaccines, which can take a significant amount of time, our identification of repurposed small molecule compounds may accelerate the translational process of finding a potential therapy.”
The identified compounds include an investigational drug currently being evaluated in a clinical trial to reduce liver injury and fibrosis called emricasan. The other drug, called niclosamide, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in humans to treat worm infections. The researchers also identified nine cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors that are involved in the regulation of cellular processes and normal brain development.
NCATS’ work included collaborative efforts with teams at Johns Hopkins University and Florida State University.
Zika virus has been identified in more than 60 countries worldwide. There are no vaccines currently available for Zika virus.