Goal & Research Areas

The main goal of this project is to develop protease inhibitors as antiviral agents against coronavirus and other RNA viruses. In drug design, we take a comprehensive approach combining principles of enzymology, chemical reactivity, and molecular recognition. For efficient drug screening, we add unique expertise in bioluminescent reporters of protease activity and organoid-based viral culture. Aims include improving oral SARSCoV2 protease inhibitors leads discovered by the Lin Lab to address unmet clinical needs in COVID-19, generalizing our methods to other coronaviruses and togaviruses with pandemic potential, and study resistance mechanisms. If successful, this project will rapidly develop novel inhibitors for SARSCoV2 and other coronaviruses that are ready to enter clinical trials and that have the potential to be best-in-class. It will also establish proof of concept for new ways to target viral proteases, develop inhibitors for other coronaviruses and togaviruses for which no treatment options exist, and characterize the ability of protease inhibitors to treat late-stage disease.

Hot Topic

Jeffrey Glenn receives $69 million to start antiviral drug-discovery center at Stanford

The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded Jeffrey Glenn, MD, PhD, professor of hepatology and gastroenterology and of microbiology and immunology, $69 million...

Single drug injection wards off COVID-19 hospitalizations, in Stanford Medicine-led trial

A single dose of lambda-interferon reduced hospitalization among COVID-19 outpatients in a late-stage study spearheaded by a Stanford Medicine virologist.

Antiviral Program for Pandemics

The Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP) aims to develop safe and effective antivirals to combat SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as to build sustainable platforms for targeted drug discovery and development of a robust pipeline of antivirals against viruses with pandemic potential.

ViRx Home Page

Our lab applies biochemical and engineering principles to the development of protein-based tools for imaging and control of biochemical processes. Topics of investigation include fluorescent proteins structure and biophysics, fluorescent protein-based biosensors, neuronal activity sensors, spatiotemporal analysis of protein translation pathways, chemical control of protein translation, and light-responsive proteins.

Project 5

Goal & Research Areas

Core Leader & Team

Michael Lin

Shirit Einav

Matthew Bogyo

Hot Topic

Jeffrey Glenn receives $69 million to start antiviral drug-discovery center at Stanford

Single drug injection wards off COVID-19 hospitalizations, in Stanford Medicine-led trial

Antiviral Program for Pandemics