Structure-based Inhibitor Design Against ZIKV Protease
This project uses computational biology and chemistry tools to design a pharmaceutical to combat the Zika Virus.
The Zika Virus is a public-health threat best-known for causing severe birth defects. Despite its initial isolation in 1947, there still exists no treatment and scant actionable data.
This project is to design a small drug to inhibit an enzyme critical to the virus’s life cycle and prevent viral replication. Our aim is to create a pharmaceutical treatment to cure infection and prevent Zika-induced birth defects.
We start with collection of crystal structures from the protein data bank and apply a variety of computational tool, including our own drug-design software package, to create molecules which our collaborator can then synthesize and test in vitro.