Chemistry and Biology of SARS-CoV-2
Alexander Dömling
Li Gao
Published:May 20, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2020.04.023
The Bigger Picture
Challenges and opportunities:
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The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed our world in just half a year: a large number of people have died from the virus-induced pneumonia COVID-19, and the global economy is at an unprecedented low with unknown near- and long-term consequences.
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The coronavirus pandemic needs a two-pronged approach: a short-term solution to find a drug to treat the massive number of seriously ill patients, and long-term development of preventive and curative drugs for future corona outbreaks.
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De novo discovery of any therapeutic takes years to move from idea/pre-clinic to market release and is not a short-term solution for the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Drug repurposing is perhaps the only short-term solution, and vaccination is a middle-term solution.
