Regularly reviewing the "state-of-the-art" developments in the antiviral drug research field, this latest volume spans the conceptual design and chemical synthesis of new antiviral compounds. It discusses their structure-activity relationship, mechanism and targets of action, pharmacological behavior, antiviral activity spectrum, and therapeutic potential for clinical use.

The purpose of the series on Advances in Antiviral Drug Design is to regularly review the "state of the art" on emerging new developments in the antiviral drug research field, thereby spanning the conceptual design and chemical synthesis of new antiviral compounds, their structure-activity relationship, mechanism and target(s) of action, pharmacological behavior, antiviral activity spectrum, and therapeutic potential for clinical use. Volume 2 begins with a description of the antiviral potential of antisense oligonucleotides by J. Temsamani and S. Agrawal. According to the aims of the anitsense technology, these oligonucleotides should be targeted at specific viral antisense technology, these oligonucleotides should be targeted at specific viral mRNA sequences so that translation to the virus-specified proteins is blocked; this has been achieved for a number of oligomers, some of which are now in clinical trials for the treatment of HIV, HCMV, and human papilloma virus (HPV) infections. Then C.-S. Yuan, S. Liu, S.F. Wnuk, M.J. Robins and R.T. Borchardt assess the role of S-adenosylhornocysteine (AdoHcy) hydrolase as target for the design of antiviral agents with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. This is followed by an in-depth account on the design and synthesis of a number of first-, second- and third-generation AdoHcy hydrolase inhibitors and their mode of action at the enzyme level.V.E. Marquez provides a comprehensive description of the various carbocyclic (carba) nucleosides that have been synthesized and evaluated for antiviral activity. Although the number and diversity of the carba-nucleosides that have been found to be antivirally active (or inactive) is astonishingly high, there is no limit to further expansion of this fascinating class of molecules. For the various nucleoside analogues that have to be intracellularly phosphorylated to the 5'-triphosphate stage, to interact with their target enzyme (i.e., herpesviral DNA polymerase or retroviral revers transcriptase) the first phosphorylation step is often the rate-limiting step, and thus various strategies are envisaged by C. Perigoud, J.-L. Girardet, G. Gosselin and J.-L. Bach on how to bypass this initial phosphorylation and to deliver the nucleoside 5'-monophophate directly inside the cells.The HIV protease has been considered as a paradigm for rational drug design. The enzyme is among the best understood in terms of both structure and action, and because of its crucial role in the maturation of HIV, it has been vigorously pursued as a target for anti-HIV chemotherapy. In their comprehensive review of the multidisciplinary approach towards the development of HIV protease inhibitors A.G. Tomasselli, S. Thaisrivongs and R.L. Heinrikson highlight those protease inhibitors which have been brought forward to clinical trials.

This book summarizes state-of-the-art antiviral drug design and discovery approaches starting from natural products to de novo design, and provides a timely update on recently approved antiviral drugs and compounds in advanced clinical development. Special attention is paid to viral infections with a high impact on the world population or highly relevant from the public health perspective (HIV, hepatitis C, influenza virus, etc.). In these chapters, limitations associated with adverse effects and emergence of drug resistance are discussed in detail. In addition to classical antiviral strategies, chapters will be dedicated to discuss the non-classical drug development strategies to block viral infection, for instance, allosteric inhibitors, covalent antiviral agents, or antiviral compounds targeting protein–protein interactions. Finally, current prospects for producing broad-spectrum antiviral inhibitors will be also addressed. The book is distinctive in providing the most recent update in the rapidly evolving field of antiviral therapeutics. Authoritative reviews are written by international scientists well known for their contributions in their topics of research, which makes this book suitable for researchers not only within the antiviral research community but also attractive to a broad audience in the drug discovery field. This book covers molecular structures and biochemical mechanisms mediating the antiviral effects, while discussing various ligand design strategies, which include traditional medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and chemical biology approaches. The book provides a comprehensive review of antiviral drug discovery and development approaches, particularly focusing on current innovations and future trends.

This book focuses on new small molecule approaches to combat viral infections. The chapters describe the discovery and development from bench through the clinic of relatively recently-approved antiviral drugs and compounds in advanced clinical development. Organized by a virus (such as HIV, HCV, RSV, influenza, HBV and CMV) and written by top academic and industrial authorities in the field, the book provides a unique opportunity to study, understand and apply discovery and development principles and learning without the need for an individual to research, analyze and synthesize all immense sourcing references. Topics showcase challenges and solutions of issues encountered, offering tremendous experience accumulated over many years of research that will be particularly useful to basic and bench scientists as well as clinicians as they continue discovering and developing new drugs and therapies.

This comprehensive account of the human herpesviruses provides an encyclopedic overview of their basic virology and clinical manifestations. This group of viruses includes human simplex type 1 and 2, Epstein–Barr virus, Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, HHV6A, 6B and 7, and varicella-zoster virus. The viral diseases and cancers they cause are significant and often recurrent. Their prevalence in the developed world accounts for a major burden of disease, and as a result there is a great deal of research into the pathophysiology of infection and immunobiology. Another important area covered within this volume concerns antiviral therapy and the development of vaccines. All these aspects are covered in depth, both scientifically and in terms of clinical guidelines for patient care. The text is illustrated generously throughout and is fully referenced to the latest research and developments.

Discusses how to fight Ebola, SARS Corona, and other known or emerging human viruses by building on the successes in antiviral therapy of the past decades Written by leading medicinal chemists from academia and industry, this book discusses the entire field of antiviral drug discovery and development from a medicinal chemistry perspective, focusing on antiviral drugs, targets, and viral disease mechanisms. It provides an outlook on emerging pathogens such as Ebola, Zika, West Nile, Lassa, and includes a chapter on SARS Coronoavirus-2 causing the present pandemic. New Drug Development for Known and Emerging Viruses describes the discovery and development process for antiviral agents for different classes of viruses and targets based on the experiences from the nine human viruses for which approved drugs are on the market (HIV, HCV, Influenza, RSV, HBV, HPV, HCMV, HSV, and VZV). It covers the properties and potential of 20 classes of currently approved antivirals, including combination drugs, and looks at novel antiviral strategies against emerging viruses. Covers the entire field of antiviral drug discovery and development Addresses the need for antiviral drugs to combat major health threats such as Ebola, Zika, West Nile, and SARS Coronavirus-2 Summarizes the successes of the past 15 years in developing ground-breaking medicines against 9 major human viruses, both from the medicinal chemistry and the pharmacological angle Discusses practical and strategic challenges in the drug discovery and development process, including screening technologies, latency, and toxicity issues New Developments in Antiviral Drugs is an important book for medicinal chemists, pharmaceutical chemists, virologists, and epidemiologists, and will be of great interest to those in the ;pharmaceutical industry and public health agencies.

Gene Therapy for Viral Infections provides a comprehensive review of the broader field of nucleic acid and its use in treating viral infections. The text bridges the gap between basic science and important clinical applications of the technology, providing a systematic, integrated review of the advances in nucleic acid-based antiviral drugs and the potential advantages of new technologies over current treatment options. Coverage begins with the fundamentals, exploring varying topics, including harnessing RNAi to silence viral gene expression, antiviral gene editing, viral gene therapy vectors, and non-viral vectors. Subsequent sections include detailed coverage of the developing use of gene therapy for the treatment of specific infections, the principles of rational design of antivirals, and the hurdles that currently face the further advancement of gene therapy technology. - Provides coverage of gene therapy for a variety of infections, including HBV, HCV, HIV, hemorrhagic fever viruses, and respiratory and other viral infections - Bridges the gap between the basic science and the important medical applications of this technology - Features a broad approach to the topic, including an essential overview and the applications of gene therapy, synthetic RNA, and other antiviral strategies that involve nucleic acid engineering - Presents perspectives on the future use of nucleic acids as a novel class of antiviral drugs - Arms the reader with the cutting-edge information needed to stay abreast of this developing field