A UCLA study discovered potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents capable of combating various RNA virus families, including those causing future pandemics. Particularly effective were cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) STING agonists, which showed therapeutic promise against the Chikungunya virus and other arthropod-borne and respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. The aim is to develop these antivirals alongside existing ones for future disease outbreaks.
A new study has identified potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents that can target multiple families of RNA viruses that continue to pose a significant threat for future pandemics. The study, led by Gustavo Garcia Jr. in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, tested a library of innate immune agonists that work by targeting pathogen recognition receptors, and found several agents that showed promise, including one that exhibited potent antiviral activity against members of RNA viral families.
The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which has claimed nearly seven million lives globally since it began, has revealed the vulnerabilities of human society to a large-scale outbreak from emerging pathogens. While accurately predicting what will trigger the next pandemic, the authors say recent epidemics as well as global climate change and the continuously evolving nature of the RNA genome indicate that arboviruses, viruses spread by arthropods such as mosquitoes, are prime candidates. These include Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Dengue virus, West Nile virus, and Zika virus.
The researchers write: “Given their already-demonstrated epidemic potential, finding effective broad-spectrum treatments against these viruses is of the utmost importance as they become potential agents for pandemics.”