Coronavirus RIBOTAC Destroys Viral RNA

The world is gripped by a global pandemic caused by the proliferation of SARS CoV-2, the virus the causes COVID-19. Despite the promise of vaccines, we will continue to need antiviral drugs to treat patients who have contracted COVID-19. A lot of attention has gone to suppressing an overly aggressive immune response with dexamethasone or inhibiting one of the critical viral proteins such as RNA polymerase, but little work has been done to target the viral RNA itself. After all, the coronavirus can be considered simply an RNA delivery vehicle. Once inside the cell, the RNA is the blueprint for making more virus. This video describes the discovery of 1) a small molecule binder of viral RNA which inhibits RNA function and 2) a ribonuclease targeting chimera (RIBOTAC) which recruits RNase L to destroy the viral RNA and stop the virus.
ACS Central. Science 2020, 6, 10, 1713-1721.
Link to publication:
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