Our approach to antiviral drug development focuses on targeting parts of the virus that are highly conserved across a virus family.
By focusing on these regions, we hypothesize that we can develop broad-spectrum antivirals that are effective against multiple viruses in a family. These drugs would provide protection against existing viruses and have a higher likelihood of being effective against the next, unknown virus when it emerges.
Our Center is led by a highly interdisciplinary team of scientists that are organized into five Research Projects, each focused on a virus family, and three Research Cores organized by their area of expertise. Learn more about our Projects and Cores below.
READDI-AC’s team of researchers have expertise across the entire preclinical drug development pipeline, from early-stage computational modeling to identifying promising target sites to advanced preclinical models for assessing the safety and efficacy of a compound.
This team enables us to identify new chemical matter and rapidly test it for antiviral activity.
The READDI-AC Strategy
~300,000 Screened
Primary Screening: High throughput, DNA-encoded library, and fragment-based screens are used to identify novel chemical starting points (hits) against a target.
~150 Hit Validation
Hit Validation: Compounds identified in screens are tested in biophysical, biochemical, and cell-based assays to confirm their activity.
Ortholog Profiling: Validated hits are tested against other viruses in the same family to assess their broad-spectrum potential.
11 Hit-to-Lead Campaigns
Rapid Design-Synthesis-Test Cycles: Hits are modified by the Chemistry Core to improve their properties in an iterative manner.
4 Leads
Lead Optimization: Project teams and industry partners complete late-stage studies to prepare for IND filings for a compound.
Within our pipeline, the majority of READDI-AC efforts are focused on three enzyme classes:
Proteases: These enzymes play a critical role in viral replication, by cleaving viral polyproteins into individual functional proteins and allowing the virus to assemble and mature properly.
Helicase: These enzymes are responsible for unwinding and separating RNA during viral replication or transcription, allowing for the synthesis of new viral nucleic acids and the replication of the virus.
Polymerase: RNA-dependent RNA polymerases are responsible for accurately copying the viral genetic material during viral replication by catalyzing the synthesis of new viral RNA molecules.