Current drug targets
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Since its initial start in December 2019 at Wuhan, China, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been rapidly spreading and labelled as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The rate of human to human transmission of COVID-19 is far higher than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS). With no drugs or vaccines approved for the treatment of the disease, physicians have been using pre-existing drugs to curb the disease. One potential anti-viral agent currently undergoing numerous clinical trials is remdesivir, a nucleotide analog that inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). ⋯ Initially, remdesivir was granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of COVID-19 with severe disease. But now, remdesivir has been granted for use under EUA to treat all hospitalized COVID-19 patients, irrespective of their severity of disease.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2020
ReviewFacts and myths: Efficacies of repurposing chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The 2019-nCoV first broke out in Wuhan and subsequently spread worldwide owing to its extreme transmission efficiency. The fact that the COVID-19 cases and mortalities are reported globally and the WHO has declared this outbreak as the pandemic, the international health authorities have focused on rapid diagnosis and isolation of patients as well as search for therapies able to counter the disease severity. ⋯ Repurposing anti-malarial drugs and chloroquine (CQ)/ hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have shown efficacy to inhibit most coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus. These CQ analogues have shown potential efficacy to inhibit 2019-nCoV in vitro that leads to focus several future clinical trials. This review discusses the possible effective roles and mechanisms of CQ analogues for interfering with the 2019-nCoV replication cycle and infection.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2019
ReviewApplication of Machine Learning Approaches for the Design and Study of Anticancer Drugs.
Globally the number of cancer patients and deaths are continuing to increase yearly, and cancer has, therefore, become one of the world's highest causes of morbidity and mortality. In recent years, the study of anticancer drugs has become one of the most popular medical topics. ⋯ This paper introduces the application of machine learning approaches in anticancer drug design. Many examples of success in identification and prediction in the area of anticancer drugs activity prediction are discussed, and the anticancer drugs research is still in active progress. Moreover, the merits of some web servers related to anticancer drugs are mentioned.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
ReviewVirulence Factor Targeting of the Bacterial Pathogen Staphylococcus aureus for Vaccine and Therapeutics.
Staphylococcus aureus is a major bacterial pathogen capable of causing a range of infections in humans from gastrointestinal disease, skin and soft tissue infections, to severe outcomes such as sepsis. Staphylococcal infections in humans can be frequent and recurring, with treatments becoming less effective due to the growing persistence of antibiotic resistant S. aureus strains. Due to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance, and the current limitations on antibiotic development, an active and highly promising avenue of research has been to develop strategies to specifically inhibit the activity of virulence factors produced S. aureus as an alternative means to treat disease. ⋯ The major prevalence of antibiotic resistant strains of S. aureus combined with the lack of new antibiotic discoveries highlight the need for vigorous research into alternative strategies to combat diseases caused by this highly successful pathogen. Current efforts to develop specific antivirulence strategies, vaccine approaches, and alternative therapies for treating severe disease caused by S. aureus have the potential to stem the tide against the limitations that we face in the post-antibiotic era.
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Current drug targets · Jan 2018
ReviewJAK/STAT Signal Transduction: Promising Attractive Targets for Immune, Inflammatory and Hematopoietic Diseases.
JAK/STAT signal pathway, a requisite part in the signaling process of growth factors and cytokines, has become attractive targets for numerous immune, inflammatory and hematopoietic diseases. ⋯ Research and development of isoform selective JAK inhibitors has become a hot topic in this field. With the assistance of high throughput screening and rational drug design, more and more JAK inhibitors with improved selective profiles will be discovered as biological probes and even therapeutic agents.