Search for Therapeutics against COVID-19: A Recent Approach

Abstract

Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) cause respiratory diseases infecting the upper and/or lower respiratory tract.  The six human coronaviruses so far identified are HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU-1, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. Four of these coronaviruses (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV- NL63, and HCoV-HKU-1) are known as circulating common coronavirus found continuously in the human population causing mostly common cold, with few cases of severe diseases. In late December 2019, a novel human coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV-2, was identified during an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The disease spectrum caused by this virus is now called COVID-19 (Coronavirus Infectious disease 2019). This novel coronavirus has spread globally resulting in a world-wide pandemic that continues to rage as of now. SARS-CoV-2 has a high case morbidity and mortality rate and is high risk to the elderly populations, immune-compromised populations, and to those who have other critical issues like heart disease, diabetes, etc.

Our objective is to find a better therapeutics that can overcome the demerits of the present antiviral strategies adopted for COVID-19. In brief, our goal is to develop a highly effective broad-spectrum nano-polymer based drug candidate against Coronaviruses, and its mutants are also unlikely to enable  to escape these drug candidates.

In this review, we summarize the latest information of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical aspects of SARS-CoV-2, and discuss the current scientific and therapeutic advancements for clinical treatment of this pandemic novel coronavirus.