Chemist Dr. Vasundara Srinivasan of the University of Hamburg is lead author of the study. Photo: UHH/Gevorgyan
Chemist Dr. Vasundara Srinivasan of the University of Hamburg is lead author of the study. Photo: UHH/Gevorgyan - Scientists at the University of Hamburg and DESY have identified three compounds that are promising candidates for drug development against coronavirus. All three are already used as active ingredients in existing drugs, the team writes in its publication in the nature journal -Communications Biology-. The team led by Christian Betzel of the University of Hamburg and Alke Meents of DESY has subjected a large natural compound library to extensive screening. -We tested 500 compounds from the Karachi Library of Natural Compounds to see if they bind to the papain-like protease of the novel coronavirus, which is one of the main targets for an antiviral drug,- explains the study's lead author, Dr. Vasundara Srinivasan of the University of Hamburg. -A drug that binds to the enzyme at the right site can block its function. Papain-like protease (PLpro) is a key enzyme in virus replication.
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