Spectrum of candidate molecules against Chikungunya virus - an insight into the antiviral screening platforms

INTRODUCTION

Chikungunya disease has undergone a phenomenal transition in its status from being recognized as a sporadic infection to acquiring a global prominence over the last couple of decades. The causative agent behind the explosive epidemics worldwide is the re-emerging pathogen, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Areas covered: The current review discusses all the possible avenues of antiviral research towards combating CHIKV infection. Aspects of antiviral drug discovery such as antiviral targets, candidate molecules screened, and the various criteria to be a potential inhibitor are all discussed at length. Existing antiviral drug screening tools for CHIKV and their applications are thoroughly described. Clinical trial status of agents with therapeutic potential has been updated with special mention of candidate molecules under patent approval. Databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Google Patent, and Clinical Trial Registry platforms were referred. Expert opinion: The massive outbreaks of Chikungunya viral disease in the recent past and the serious health concerns imposed thereby, have driven the search for effective therapeutics. The greatest challenge being the non-availability of robust, reproducible, cost-effective and biologically accurate assay models. Nevertheless, there is a need to identify good models mimicking the appropriate microenvironment of an infectious setting.

Enzyme assay design for high-throughput screening

Enzymes continue to be a major drug target class for the pharmaceutical industry with high-throughput screening the approach of choice for identifying initial active chemical compounds. The development of fluorescent- or absorbance-based readouts typically remains the formats of choice for enzyme screens and a wealth of experience from both industry and academia has led to a comprehensive set of standardized assay development and validation guidelines for enzyme assays. In this chapter, we generalize approaches to developing, validating, and troubleshooting assays that should be applicable in both industrial and academic settings. Real-life examples of various enzyme classes including kinases, proteases, transferases, and phosphatases are used to illustrate assay development approaches and solutions. Practical examples are given for how to deal with low-purity enzyme targets, compound interference, and identification of activators. Assay acceptance criteria and a number of assay notes on pitfalls to avoid should provide pointers on how to develop a suitable enzymatic assay applicable for HTS.