Download MendeleyAn allosteric inhibitor of the Zika virus NS2B-NS3 protease with oral efficacy in mouse models.
Ontoria, J.M., Torrente, E., Missineo, A., Alli, C., Graziani, R., Conti, S., Bisbocci, M., Quotadamo, A., Ferrigno, F., Corio, A., Ievoli, G., Bencheva, L., Amaudrut, J., Vasile, S., Beghetto, E., Paolini, C., Alaimo, N., Veneziano, M., Nibbio, M., Orsale, M.V., Proto, G., Colaceci, F., Orsatti, L., Pucci, V., Di Fabio, R., Tomei, L., Montalbetti, C., Bresciani, A., Toniatti, C., Paonessa, G.(2026) Nat Commun 17: 1439-1439
- PubMed: 41667483
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-68943-x
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9IBY, 9TPG - PubMed Abstract:
The mosquito-transmitted Zika virus (ZIKV) poses a global health threat, with no approved antiviral drugs or vaccines currently available. Here, we report the discovery of a series of ZIKV NS3 protease inhibitors identified through phenotypic high-throughput screening (HTS) using a ZIKV replicon-based cellular assay, and the subsequent selection of resistant mutants. These inhibitors, characterized by the presence of an N-acylsydnone imine group, bind to a previously undescribed allosteric pocket of the protease, locking the enzyme into a catalytically inactive conformation. We describe the characterization of IRBM-Z-1, our initial allosteric hit and IRBM-Z-2, a potent inhibitor of ZIKV infectivity and other orthoflavivirus proteases with a favourable in vitro and in vivo ADME profile, resulting in oral efficacy against ZIKV infection in mouse models, with potential as a prophylactic agent for human use.
- Department of Drug Discovery, IRBM S.p.A., Pomezia, Italy. j.ontoria@irbm.com.
Organizational Affiliation:
