Innovative Antiviral Candidates for Covid-19: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of High-Affinity Derivatives

The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the Institut Pasteur and the University of São Paulo (USP) launched a common call for projects open to the members of the Pasteur Network.

HKU-Pasteur got awarded a grant for the team project Innovative Antiviral Candidates for Covid-19: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of High-Affinity Derivatives, under the leadership of Professor Leo Poon.

This project explores new antiviral candidates developed by Fiocruz researchers. Preliminary findings show these compounds effectively inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro with low cytotoxicity, suggesting they hold promise as innovative COVID-19 therapies.

This project addresses a critical global need by evaluating in-house developed antiviral compounds that show promise in treating COVID-19 and potentially overcoming resistance. International collaboration will further strengthen this research by providing insights into resistance mechanisms, which are essential to ensure long-term therapeutic efficacy against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Awarded by the Fiocruz-USP-Pasteur selection committee, the project is a collaborative endeavour will be led by:

• Leo Poon (HKU-Pasteur) for the Pasteur Network

• Aline da Rocha Matos (IOC) for FIOCRUZ

• Sabrina Epiphanio (FCF-USP) for USP