Scientists from the Oxford Glycobiology Institute has found that Zavesca, an iminosugar drug that has been on the market for nearly 20 years, as well as two other iminosugar drug molecules in clinical 2A trials – testing on real patients – for the treatment of hepatitis B virus, dengue virus and influenza virus, were expected to inhibit the novel coronavirus.

Mechanism of iminosugar drugs

Zavesca is transformed from iminosugar derived from natural plants, which has been successfully used worldwide for the treatment of Gaucher disease, an inherited metabolic disorder. The main mechanism of iminosugar drug molecules is to interfere with the production of new viruses in host cells, thereby destroying the virus. This mechanism would theoretically have the same effect on inhibiting the novel coronavirus.

The birthplace of this drug, the Oxford Glycobiology Institute, is a leading glycobiology institute in the world. Its director, Professor Raymond Dwek, has more than 20 years of experience in developing coronavirus control drugs. His team was the first to discover new replication and synthesis mechanisms of "enveloped viruses" such as coronavirus in host cells, and to develop a series of iminosugar inhibitors and drug molecules targeting key glucosidases in this mechanism. Based on this mechanism, broad-spectrum antiviral agents can be developed.

In addition to Zavesca, the iminosugar drug molecules of the hepatitis B virus, dengue virus, and influenza virus at the Institute have completed clinical 2A trials. If they are confirmed to be effective in the activity test of the novel coronavirus, a clinical treatment plan can be designed within one month under optimal conditions.

International science community fight against coronavirus

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, the World Laureates Association (WLA) Shanghai Centre has paid considerable attention to the epidemic by mobilizing its world laureates' network to fight against the epidemic with multiple strategies and channels.

In the field of global disease prevention and treatment, there are three main strategies for virus research:

1）Develop virus inhibitors for host cells' pathway targets during virus infection, survival, and replication

2）Develop virus inhibitors based on structural analysis and super-computing and simulation for the virus's targets

3）Develop specific neutralizing antibodies and virus vaccines against viral proteins

Nobel laureates in chemistry Roger Kornberg and Michael Levitt, noted antibody expert Richard Lerner and biologist Raymond Dewk, have offered help to investigate the virus and propose new solutions.

The WLA has been in touch with the heads of the aforementioned scientific research institutions, including the world's top virus laboratories, and nearly 10 scientists to conduct extensive and in-depth discussions on scientific research cooperation concerning disease prevention and treatment.

"They're willing to actively exert international scientific talent to support China in combating the epidemic," the center said in a statement this week.