46 Questions
Which of the following is a current challenge in developing antiviral therapies?
The lack of animal models for certain viruses
How many antiviral therapies are currently available?
118
Which viruses are listed as examples of those with no treatment?
Influenza, Ebola, and HBV
Which of the following is a potential target for antiviral therapy?
Viral replication
What is the primary goal of antiviral therapy?
Target the virus more than the host cell
Which factor(s) can increase the risk of morbidity and mortality in HSV encephalitis?
All of the above
What is the mechanism of action of acyclovir?
Inhibition of viral replication
Which year did Brandon Mercury die of HIV/AIDS?
1991
What is the profile of HIV/AIDS diagnosis before 1995?
The number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses declined
What is the size of the HIV protease compared to a cellular protease?
HIV protease is smaller than a cellular protease
What is the first protease inhibitor developed for HIV?
Saquinavir
Which drug is 10-100x more potent against CMV compared to acyclovir?
Ganciclovir
What is the mechanism of action of Foscarnet?
Inhibition of viral DNA polymerase
Which drug is a prodrug of acyclovir?
Valacyclovir
What is the most common mechanism of resistance to acyclovir in HSV and VZV?
Downregulation of viral thymidine kinase
Which antiviral drug was found to be superior to placebo in shortening the time to recovery for hospitalized patients with Covid-19?
Remdesivir
What is the viral phase of the Covid-19 infection?
The first weeks when the virus is active
Why is it important to study antiviral drugs?
To treat chronic viral infections
What is the main advantage of vaccines over antiviral drugs?
Vaccines provide long-term immunity
Which virus did Remdesivir originally target?
Ebola
Which antibody therapy was found to be superior to Remdesivir in reducing mortality?
REGN-EB3
What is the primary translation product of the SARS-CoV2 virus?
Polyprotein
What is the mechanism of action of Remdesivir?
Inhibits viral polymerase
What is the current state of antiviral therapies?
Currently, there are 118 antiviral therapies, with 85 being monotherapies and 33 being combinations. More than 50% of these therapies are for HIV.
What are the challenges in developing antiviral therapies?
The challenges in developing antiviral therapies include shutting down the viral machinery without harming the host cell, dealing with toxicities that are unacceptable (compared to chemotherapy), handling medically-important viruses that cannot be safely propagated or lack a good animal model, addressing mutations that lead to resistance, and preventing the return of viral replication once treatment is stopped.
Why are antiviral therapies important?
Antiviral therapies are important because they can sufficiently suppress or treat a virus, allowing for its clearance or reduction until the immune system can take over. They play a crucial role in managing viral infections and preventing the spread of diseases.
What is the mechanism of action of acyclovir?
Acyclovir gets incorporated into viral DNA and blocks DNA polymerase, causing chain termination.
What are the indications for acyclovir?
Acyclovir is indicated for HSV and VZV infections, and also has in vitro activity against EBV. It is not useful in acute infectious mononucleosis.
How does CMV (Cytomegalovirus) resist the effects of ganciclovir?
CMV can resist the effects of ganciclovir by mutating its phosphotransferase kinase (PK) or DNA polymerase.
What is the mechanism of action of foscarnet?
Foscarnet is an inorganic pyrophosphate analogue that reversibly blocks the pyrophosphate binding site of viral DNA polymerase and inhibits pyrophosphate cleavage from dNTPs.
What is the role of HIV protease in the maturation of the virus?
The HIV protease is responsible for cleaving the edges of the GAG protein, allowing the virus to snap into a mature virion.
What is the significance of the crystal structure of the HIV protease?
The crystal structure of the HIV protease led to the development of drugs that can inhibit its dimerized form, thus preventing viral maturation.
How did the development of protease inhibitors impact HIV/AIDS treatment?
The development of protease inhibitors allowed for the incorporation of combination therapies, leading to a decline in AIDS deaths.
Who were the recipients of the Nobel Prize for the discovery of HIV?
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc A. Montagnier, two French virologists, were awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of HIV.
What is the mechanism of action of Remdesivir?
Remdesivir outcompetes natural nucleotides and gets incorporated into the viral RNA strand, leading to delayed chain-termination and ultimately inhibiting viral replication.
What is the primary translation product of the SARS-CoV2 virus?
The SARS-CoV2 virus produces a large polyprotein through primary translation, which is partly cleaved by the 3CL-protease to produce additional smaller proteins.
Why is it important to study antiviral drugs?
Studying antiviral drugs is important to develop effective treatments against viral infections, prevent the spread of viral diseases, and improve patient outcomes.
What is the advantage of viruses with proofreading capabilities?
Viruses with proofreading capabilities, such as SARS-CoV2, are typically resistant to nucleotide analogues, making it more challenging to develop effective antiviral therapies.
What are some factors that contribute to the importance of studying antiviral drugs?
Viral factors, human factors, and disease factors
Why is Remdesivir not as effective as hoped in the clinical setting?
The mechanism of action is not fully understood
What are some examples of antiviral targets and their corresponding drugs?
Viral attachment (enfuvirtide, palivizumab), cell entry (amantadine), uncoating, transcription (nucleotide analogues), translation, viral assembly, viral release (oseltamivir), integration
What are some challenges in developing antiviral therapies?
Not all viruses have vaccines, chronic viral infections, not everyone is able to mount a response to vaccines, not everyone is able to get a vaccine, breakthrough infections, accessibility
What are the possible targets for antiviral therapy?
Viral attachment, Cell entry, Uncoating, Transcription, Translation, Viral assembly, Viral release
What are the risk factors for morbidity and mortality in HSV encephalitis?
Age >30, Immunocompromised, GCS 8 or less, Delays in receiving acyclovir (>2d)
What is the mechanism of action of acyclovir?
Acyclovir is tri-phosphorylated intracellularly to the active compound ACV-TP. It is initially phosphorylated by viral thymidine kinase and then by cellular kinases. ACV-TP inhibits viral DNA polymerase and results in chain termination.
What is the advantage of acyclovir in antiviral therapy?
Acyclovir has activity only in cells that are infected with the virus and not in uninfected cells.
Test your knowledge on the history of HIV/AIDS diagnosis and treatment in this quiz. Explore the profile of HIV/AIDS diagnosis before 1995, the medications used in the late 90s, and the impact of increased awareness on HIV transmission. Discover the story of Brandon Mercury and his battle with HIV/AIDS. Can you identify the ratio of AIDS-related deaths in the graph?
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
