Funding for new antiviral drugs
Ferrier Research Institute's Dr Lawrence Harris is leading a research project that could help us fight back against outbreaks of viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 that has led to the current COVID-19 outbreak, and give New Zealand research a bigger share of the approximately $50 billion global anti-viral market.
Ferrier Research Institute's Dr Lawrence Harris is leading a research project that could help us fight back against outbreaks of viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 that has led to the current COVID-19 outbreak, and give New Zealand research a bigger share of the approximately $50 billion global anti-viral market.
The project, one of four under the New Frontiers in Antiviral Development research programme, has funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour fund, which was established to support research with transformational potential.
Professor Gary Evans, also from the Ferrier Research Institute, is leading a second project within the programme. The remaining two are led by researchers from the University of Otago.
Dr Harris's project is looking at whether a recently-discovered naturally-occurring antiviral molecule could be used as a blueprint to develop broad-spectrum antiviral compounds.
"A particular molecule is generated naturally in the body that helps fight viral infections by stopping the way viruses replicate. Although it was only discovered a few years ago, similar molecules have been prepared previously by medicinal chemists for use in antiviral drugs.
"Our aim is to explore how chemically modifying the structure of the core of the naturally-occurring molecule could lead to new, better, and safer antiviral medicines."
The project will also make use of expertise from long-term Ferrier collaborators, Professor Steven Almo and Associate Professor Tyler Grove from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
"Their biochemistry will help inform the direction of the chemistry we pursue across both Ferrier-led projects. In addition to managing the chemistry research, which includes a team of three postdoctoral researchers, I will be responsible for the flow of science and information between the two institutes," says Dr Harris.
"With this research, our goal is to generate new knowledge that will lead to the development of new drugs. Given the lack of a vaccine for SAR-CoV-2 and many other viruses, the more knowledge we have about how to treat COVID-19 and other viral infections the better.
"New antiviral compounds can also fill some of these voids left by drugs that have lost their effectiveness due to the fact that viruses can develop drug resistance."
The demand for effective antiviral treatments is top of mind for much of the world now, as the economic, societal and health impacts of the novel viral infection, COVID-19 are being seen.
The Ferrier Research Institute has a strong track record in developing and licensing effective small molecule nucleoside analogues for use in the treatment of cancer and deadly viruses including Ebola, Zika and Yellow Fever.