July 10, 2020 -- Alkido Pharma has identified a compound with antiviral properties against COVID-19, under a master license agreement with the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
The researchers have identified a human protein complex, called SKI complex, that is important for viral replication for several human pathogens including influenza, COVID-19, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and Marburg.
Using a computational approach called site-identification by ligand competitive saturation (SILCS), developed by SilcsBio, chemical compounds were identified and predicted to bind to the pocket on a human protein in the complex. Compounds were tested to block replication of influenza virus in human cells as well as other viruses. Using this technology in combination with machine-learning tools, the researchers identified compounds with chemical structures similar to the active compounds to find ones that work better at blocking viral replication.
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