Project 5 is led by Dr. Mark Heise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is focused on discovering and developing new inhibitors of alphaviruses, mosquito-borne RNA viruses that cause human diseases ranging from debilitating arthritis to fatal encephalitis. Project 5 focuses on medically significant alphaviruses, including chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), and Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV). Like the flavivirus family, there are no approved antivirals or vaccines for treating any alphavirus infection, making the development of effective, broad-spectrum alphavirus antivirals essential.
Project 5 focuses on three essential alphavirus targets: the nsp4 RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase (RdRp), the nsp2 protease, and the nsp2 helicase. Inhibiting these essential viral enzymes will disrupt virus replication, with the goal of treating, slowing or preventing disease. To learn more about these enzyme classes, visit our Research Overview.
Team
