Designing drug treatments for COVID-19

COVID-19 Research Area(s): Vaccines & Treatments

A team led by Natalie Strynadka, professor of biochemistry in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology, is receiving $403,065 from CIHR to lead research in the development of antiviral treatments for COVID-19 using molecular structure-based drug design. Working with professor Mark Paetzel at Simon Fraser University, professor David Baker at University of Washington and a long-time U.S. pharmaceutical partner, these researchers will assess and design drugs that inhibit processing enzymes active during viral reproduction, an approach that has been successfully used to develop antiviral treatments for HIV and other global viral infections.