antivirals

A breakthrough study from the University of Alberta introduces a new class of drugs that enhance the body’s immune response against viruses, showing significant potential in treating and preventing future viral outbreaks by boosting interferon production.According to the lead researcher, “We need these drugs to prevent or treat future viral outbreaks.”A research team at the University of Alberta has discovered a new class of drugs with the potential to prevent or treat infections in a future viral outbreak.In the paper,…

The COVID Moonshot Consortium’s report highlights the discovery of a new class of inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2’s main protease. This global collaboration has produced a promising lead compound and openly shared thousands of compound designs, marking a major advancement in coronavirus drug development.COVID Moonshot’s groundbreaking research introduces new nonpeptidic inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2, showcasing global collaboration and open science in advancing coronavirus therapeutics.Although the group’s work has been freely…

Before plant material can be turned into biofuel to power things like giant jets and speedy motorcycles, a significant amount of moisture must be removed from it, which often requires both mechanical pressing and thermal drying. Researchers from Japan have figured out a way to eliminate the thermal part of the process, leading to the extraction of water-soluable antiviral compounds from cedar and ginger while turning the plants into clean, efficient fuels.To create a process that would extract moisture from plant matter…

Tanya Lewis: Hi, and welcome to COVID Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series! This is your fast-track update on the COVID pandemic. We bring you up to speed on the science behind the most urgent questions about the virus and the disease. We demystify the research, and help you understand what it really means. I’m Tanya Lewis, one of Scientific American’s senior health editors. Josh is taking the week off. Today, I’m going to talk about how the antiviral Paxlovid may protect against long COVID, and what we know…

3-D structure of SARS-CoV-2 nsp14 methyltransferase domain (shown in cyan) bound to its natural cofactor S-adenosylmethionine (shown in pink mesh). Credit: Kottur, et al; Nature Structural & Molecular BiologyResearchers unravel the crystal structure of a key enzyme of <span class="glossaryLink" aria-describedby="tt" data-cmtooltip="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>SARS-CoV-2</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the…

Doctors in some countries are frequently prescribing a Covid-19 antiviral from Merck & Co., as safety concerns about a more effective pill from PfizerInc. mixing with other medications take on greater importance than elsewhere. Merck’s drug, which it developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, has been administered to patients more than Pfizer’s Paxlovid in Australia, Japan and Italy, despite research showing Paxlovid to be much better at keeping people out of hospitals. Doctors in some countries are frequently…

Pfizer’s antiviral drug, called Paxlovid, totaled more than 412,000 prescriptions through May 6, compared with about 110,000 prescriptions of molnupiravir, an antiviral from Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, according to drug-data firm Iqvia Holdings Inc. Both pills were cleared for use in high-risk individuals early in the course of their disease in December by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to keep people from becoming hospitalized.…

HISTORY OF SCIENCE Paleontologist statue unveiled The paleontology pioneer Mary Anning finally has a statue honoring her contributions to the understanding of Earth’s past. On 21 May, organizers officially unveiled the statue in Lyme Regis on southern England’s Jurassic Coast. Anning collected fossils from the area’s rich deposits in the early 1800s, identifying the first known ichthyosaur and England’s first pterosaur. Her contributions were long overlooked, but in 2018, local…

The at-home molecular COVID-19 testing company Detect is partnering with healthcare provider Carbon Health to give customers who test positive easy access to antiviral treatments, the companies announced today. The “Test to Treat at Home” program runs directly through the Detect app, which connects people who test positive for COVID-19 with Carbon Health. Then, they can set up appointments for virtual or in-person visits, depending on their location. At that appointment, a provider can prescribe an antiviral like…