An update on the development of drugs against smallpox.
The smallpox virus can potentially be used as a biological weapon and pose a serious threat to human populations, thus rendering the development of measures against it particularly important. There is a lack of effective antiviral drugs for the treatment of smallpox and, as a result, a number of viral as well as host targets are being explored in preclinical and clinical studies to assess their efficacy as potential therapeutic agents. This review describes the latest approaches used to develop drugs against smallpox.
Tse-Dinh
Yuk-Ching
YC
New York Medical College, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 95 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA. yuk-ching_tse-dinh@nymc.edu
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023482:Bioterrorism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015195:Drug Design; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012899:Smallpox / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012901:Variola virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D000998:Antiviral Agents