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Editorial overview: Antiviral strategies
Erik De Clercq and Raymond F Schinazi
Current Opinion in Virology 2016, 18:v-vi
For a complete overview see the Issue
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2016.06.005
1879-6257/# 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Erik De Clercq
KU Leuven, Rega Institute for Medical
Research, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B-3000
Leuven, Belgium
e-mail: erik.declercq@kuleuven.be
Erik De Clercq has been a former director of
the Rega Institute for Medical Research and
professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and
Cell Biology at the KU Leuven Medical
School. He is currently Visiting Professor at
the University of South Bohemia in Ceské
Budějovice teaching the course of
‘Biochemistry at the Service of Medicine’ to
students from Ceské Budějovice (Czech
Republic) and Linz (Austria).
Raymond F Schinazi
Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology,
HIV Cure Scientific Working Eradication
Group, Emory’s Center for AIDS Research,
Emory University School of Medicine,
1760 Haygood Drive, Room E-418, Atlanta,
GA 30322, USA
e-mail: rschina@emory.edu
Raymond F Schinazi is the Frances Winship
Walters Professor of Pediatrics and Director
of the Laboratory of Biochemical
Pharmacology at Emory University. He
served for 35 years as Senior Research
Career Scientist at the Atlanta Department of
Veterans Affairs. He is also the Director of the
HIV-Cure Scientific Working Group for the
NIH-sponsored Emory University Center for
AIDS Research (CFAR). Dr. Schinazi received
his BSc (1972) and PhD (1976) in chemistry
from the University of Bath, England. A world
leader in nucleoside chemistry, Dr. Schinazi
is best known for his pioneering work on HIV,
HBV and HCV drugs d4T (stavudine), 3TC
(lamivudine), FTC (emtricitabine/Emtriva),
LdT (telbivudine), and most recently
sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), which are now approved
by the FDA. More than 94% of HIV-infected
individuals in the US on combination therapy
take at least one of the drugs he invented,
and it is estimated that his work has saved
more than 6.5 million lives worldwide. His
contributions related to HCV are expected to
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Although half a century later than antibacterials (commonly referred to as
antibiotics) antivirals have definitely come of age. Erik De Clercq and
Guangdi Li [1] have reviewed the current state of the antiviral art, which
incidentally started by the description of the synthesis of 5-iodo-20 -deox-
yuridine (IDU) in 1959 [2], followed 5 years later by TFT (5-trifluorothy-
midine) [3]. Both compounds entered history as the first antivirals to be used
topically, in the local treatment of herpetic eye infections. The first antiviral
compound ever used for the systemic treatment of virus infections (i.e.
herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV)) was vidarabine [4].
A few years earlier, ribavirin (virazole) was described as the first nucleoside
with broad spectrum antiviral activity [5]. It would later get notoriety for its
use in combination with pegylated interferon in the treatment of hepatitis C
virus (HCV) infections. Yet, still considered as the gold standard for the
treatment of virus infections and in particular HSV infections is acyclovir
[6,7].
The present series of reviews is not intended to provide a comprehensive
survey of the current account on antivirals, but only to highlight some of the
recent breakthroughs in widely diverging areas of anti-virus research encom-
passing HSV, HIV, influenza, Yellow Fever and Zika.
Since acyclovir was launched for the treatment of HSV infection, acyclovir
and its prodrug valaciclovir have remained the cornerstone for the treatment
of HSV and VZV infections, with famciclovir, prodrug of penciclovir being
an acceptable alternative. That helicase primase inhibitors would represent
another alternative, has been anticipated for many years, but, as ascertained
by Alexander Birkmann and Holger Zimmermann (‘HSV antivirals — Cur-
rent and future treatment options’), now come a step closer.
Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is the new term replacing
HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) for the treatment of HIV
infections. The progress made over the past few years in the treatment of
what was once considered an invariably lethal disease (AIDS) has become
unprecedented, as clearly demonstrated by Tomas Cihlar and Marshall
Fordyce (‘Current status and prospects of HIV treatment’).
Whether a cure for HIV would ever been achieved, for example by using
latency reversing agents (LRAs) with the aim to deplete viral reservoirs,
remains everybody’s dream and certainly that of Anthony Cillo and John
Mellors (‘Which therapeutic strategy will achieve a cure for HIV-1?’).
Insight in the mechanism involved in influenza virus replication has been
steadily increased, and so has been the possibility of envisaging new
strategies to curtail influenza virus infections, extending to viral polymerase
Current Opinion in Virology 2016, 18:v–vi
vi Antiviral strategies
have a profound positive impact on the
approximately 170 million people worldwide
suffering from chronic infection.
Dr Schinazi has been the recipient of
numerous awards chronicling his track
record of innovation and contributions to
medical science including an honorary
degree from Bath University, his Alma mater,
the 2000 Bruce Witte Annual Distinguished
Award from the Hepatitis B foundation, the
Research and Hope Award for Excellence in
Academic Research from the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America
(PhRMA) organization and the Distinguished
Scientific Achievement Award from the
American Liver Foundation.
He served on the Presidential commission for
AIDS during the Clinton administration.
Current Opinion in Virology 2016, 18:v–vi
inhibitors, as proposed by Hui-Ling Yen (‘Current and novel antiviral strategies
for influenza infection’).
Yellow fever virus (YFV) is the only virus for which vaccine development
was ever awarded a Nobel Prize (to Max Theiler). Yet, YFV outbreaks in
Africa and South America have underscored the importance of continuing
our efforts for either effective antiviral agents and/or vaccines, as uttered by
Justin Julander (‘Animal models of yellow fever and their application in clinical
research’).
Although Zika virus (ZIKV) was first identified almost half a century ago, its
importance, especially in pregnant women, only recently became evident in
Brazil. As described by Mauro Teixeira and his colleagues (‘Zika crisis in
Brazil: Challenges in research and development’), ZIKV infections represent an
enormous challenge to develop the necessary preventive and/or therapeutic
measures.
Further valuable contributions to this section were made by Fabien Zoulim
Massimo Levero, Oscar Guey Perng and BV Venkataram Prasad.
References
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2016, 29:695-747.
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