Kinga Lis, Jacek Plewka, Filipe Menezes, Ewa Bielecka, Yuliya Chykunova, Katarzyna Pustelny, Stephan Niebling, Angelica Struve Garcia, Maria Garcia-Alai, Grzegorz M Popowicz, Anna Czarna, Tomasz Kantyka, Krzysztof Pyrc
The main protease (Mpro ) of SARS-CoV-2 is critical in the virus's replication cycle, facilitating the maturation of polyproteins into functional units. Due to its conservation across taxa, Mpro is a promising target for broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. Targeting Mpro with small molecule inhibitors, such as nirmatrelvir combined with ritonavir (Paxlovid™), which the FDA has approved for post-exposure treatment and prophylaxis, can effectively interrupt the replication process of the virus. A key aspect of Mpro 's function is its ability to form a functional dimer...
April 4, 2024: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules