Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41735249›Full record

ReviewSignal transduction and targeted therapy2026

Antiviral drug discovery and development: challenges and future directions.

Shaoqing Du, Xueping Hu, Ping Li, Shujing Xu, Meehyein Kim, Xinyong Liu, Peng Zhan

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Signal transduction and targeted therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Special Issue "Antiviral Drugs Discovery".International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Structural analysis of the flexibility of the Ubl2 domain within the papain-like protease of SARS-CoV-2.Acta crystallographica. Section F, Structural biology communications · 2026
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Shaoqing Du *Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China.
Xueping Hu *Institute of Frontier Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, P. R. China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3014-6719
Ping LiDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Shujing XuDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China.
Meehyein KimInfectious Diseases Therapeutic Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Daejeon, Republic of Korea. mkim@krict.re.kr.
Xinyong LiuDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China. xinyongl@sdu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7302-2214
Peng ZhanDepartment of Medicinal Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China. zhanpeng1982@sdu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9675-6026

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has stimulated extensive endeavors toward the development of therapeutic interventions targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and human proteins for viral infection control, encompassing numerous potential drugs and thousands of patients participating in clinical trials. These concerted efforts have resulted in significant advancements in antiviral drug discovery and development. In this review, we present a comprehensive timeline detailing the development of antiviral drugs, tracing the progression from early viral inhibitors to modern broad-spectrum antiviral agents. We also outline the current status of advancements in antiviral drug discovery, encompassing target-based strategies, innovative mechanism-based approaches, and pharmacokinetic optimization. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges and future prospects gained from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, covering knowledge of artificial intelligence strategies, the utilization of medicinal chemistry tools, and advancements in nanotechnology applications. The application of artificial intelligence in drug discovery is increasingly prevalent, particularly in the areas of protein structure prediction, drug target identification, and bioactivity forecasting. Nanotechnology has played a crucial role in the delivery of antiviral drugs and the development of vaccines, exemplified by the use of lipid nanoparticles in mRNA vaccines. Additionally, we highlight potential future directions for drug discovery, such as targeting membraneless organelles (liquid‒liquid phase separation).

Indexed as

Antiviral AgentsCOVID-19 Drug TreatmentDrug DiscoveryArtificial IntelligenceCOVID-19HumansPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Antiviral Agents

Identifiers

PMID41735249
PMCPMC12932771

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.