Biering, Scott B., Van Dis, Erik, Yamashiro, Livia H., Nguyenla, Xammy , Wehri, Eddie, Dugast-Darzacq, Claire , Graham, Thomas G.W., Stroumza, Julian , Golovkine, Guillaume , Roberts, Allison W., Fines, Daniel M. , Fox, Douglas M., Ward, Carl, Spradlin, Jessica, Dovala, Dustin, Schaletzky, Julia and Stanley, Sarah A. (2021) Screening a Library of FDA-Approved and Bioactive Compounds for Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2. ACS infectious diseases. ISSN 23738227

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has emerged as a major global health threat. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 168 million cases and 3.4 million deaths to date, while the number of cases continues to rise. With limited therapeutic options, the identification of safe and effective therapeutics is urgently needed. The repurposing of known clinical compounds holds the potential for rapid identification of drugs effective against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we utilized a library of FDA-approved and well-studied preclinical and clinical compounds to screen for antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 in human pulmonary epithelial cells. We identified 13 compounds that exhibit potent antiviral activity across multiple orthogonal assays. Hits include known antivirals, compounds with anti-inflammatory activity, and compounds targeting host pathways such as kinases and proteases critical for SARS-CoV-2 replication. We identified seven compounds not previously reported to have activity against SARS-CoV-2, including B02, a human RAD51 inhibitor. We further demonstrated that B02 exhibits synergy with remdesivir, the only antiviral approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19, highlighting the potential for combination therapy. Taken together, our comparative compound screening strategy highlights the potential of drug repurposing screens to identify novel starting points for development of effective antiviral mono- or combination therapies to treat COVID-19.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	antiviral B02 drug repurposing remdesivir SARS-CoV-2 synergy
Date Deposited:	27 Jul 2021 00:45
Last Modified:	27 Jul 2021 00:45
URI:	https://oak.novartis.com/id/eprint/44139