RESEARCH: COVID-19
FOLDING PROJECT #13452 PROFILE

Researchers are using computer simulations to find new drugs against COVID-19. The top drug candidates will be made in a lab and tested. This project is called the COVID Moonshot and aims to develop an inexpensive, open-access treatment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnyaAmM1nhEThese projects are rapid sprints of relative alchemical free energy calculations for prioritizing compound designs from chemists from the COVID Moonshot for synthesis.

Top-scoring molecules will be made and tested in a laboratory by the COVID Moonshot as it works to develop an open science patent-free inexpensive therapy for COVID-19 that shuts down the essential SARS-CoV-2 main viral protease.

The COVID Moonshot has already made and tested hundreds of compounds, and is pursuing several good lead series.

You can see their progress in real time here:
https://covid.postera.ai/covid/submissions/compounds To learn more about what the Moonshot is and how it came about, you can read our blog post or watch this video. In addition to helping us prioritize compounds, you can help us purchase more compounds for synthesis at cost from Enamine by sponsoring our GoFundMe page for patent-free open science COVID-19 drug discovery! This is a radical new approach to drug discovery that aims to rapidly produce inexpensive new therapies. SARS-CoV-2 main viral potease (Mpro) with ligand bound, from the RCSB.

compound

A chemical substance with a specific molecular structure.

In drug discovery, a compound refers to a molecule that has potential therapeutic effects. Chemists synthesize and screen thousands of compounds to identify those that interact with disease-causing targets in the body.

SARS-CoV-2

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. It is a type of coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide, leading to a global pandemic.

protease

An enzyme that breaks down proteins.

Proteases are essential enzymes that play a crucial role in various biological processes, including digestion, blood clotting, and cell signaling. They cleave specific bonds within protein molecules, breaking them down into smaller peptides or amino acids.

COVID-19

Coronavirus Disease 2019

COVID-19 is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and loss of taste or smell.

synthesis

The process of creating complex molecules from simpler ones.

Synthesis in chemistry refers to the process of building up complex molecules by connecting simpler building blocks. Chemists use various reactions and techniques to assemble these molecules, often with specific properties and functions.