Graciela Mahler
University of the Republic, Uruguay
Title: Selenosemicarbazones as new inhibitors of the main proteases of SARS-CoV-2
Biography
Biography: Graciela Mahler
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome β-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causal agent of the coronavirus disease first reported in 2019 (COVID-19). It is the third epidemic triggered by a coronavirus that evolved in recent years after the spread of SARS-CoV in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) that spread in 2012. SARS-CoV-2 produces a spike protein that binds to host cell receptor ACE2 for entry.[1] Upon entry, the positive genomic RNA of SARS-CoV-2 will attach directly to the host ribosome and translate two large polyproteins, which are then processed by proteolysis into components for packaging new virions. This proteolysis is controlled by two protease enzymes, the coronavirus main protease (Mpro) and the papainlike protease (PLpro). These proteins are essential for viral replication, they are considered attractive drug targets for treating coronaviruses.