title: Anti-SARS coronavirus agents: a patent review (2008 - present).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A novel coronavirus (CoV), unlike previous typical human coronaviruses (HCoVs), was identified as causative agent for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). SARS first surfaced as a pandemic in late 2002 and originated in southern China. SARS-CoV rapidly spread to > 30 countries by 2003, infecting nearly 8,000 people and causing around 800 fatalities. After 10 years of silence, a 2012 report alarmed researchers about the emergence of a new strain of CoV causing SARS-like disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  To combat SARS, scientists applied for patents on various therapeutic agents, including small-molecule inhibitors targeting the essential proteases, helicase and other proteins of the virus, natural products, approved drugs, molecules binding to the virus, neutralizing antibodies, vaccines, anti-sense RNA, siRNA and ribozyme against SARS-CoV. In this article, the patents published from 2008 to the present for the new therapeutics that could potentially be used in the prophylaxis and treatment of SARS are reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The therapeutic interventions or prophylaxis discussed in this review seems to offer promising solutions to tackle SARS. Rather than being complacent about the results, we should envisage how to transform them into drug candidates that may be useful in combating SARS and related viral infections in the future.
authors.affiliation: Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica , Taipei 115 , Taiwan R.O.C.
authors.forename: Vathan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Young-Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Po-Huang
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D010330:Patents as Topic; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D004265:DNA Helicases