University of Coimbra discovery paves the way for a new generation of antiviral and antiparasitic drugs

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}

An interdisciplinary team from several national scientific institutions, led by the University of Coimbra (UC), has discovered and tested a molecule with revolutionary properties, paving the way for the development of a new broad-spectrum antimicrobial that could prevent and treat multiple types of viral, endemic and pandemic infections, as well as parasitic diseases such as malaria.

The BSS730A molecule, derived from penicillin, one of the most famous molecules in the world, was discovered in the Spiro4MALAIDS project, as a result of several studies carried out over the last nine years by the Organic Chemistry Group of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC).

The Spiro4MALAIDS project is coordinated by Professor Teresa Pinho e Melo of the Chemistry Department of the FCTUC and includes researchers from the University of Lisbon - Institute of Molecular Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy - and the Egas Moniz Institute.

The various preclinical tests carried out on different viruses, including HIV and different strains of influenza (a virus with pandemic potential), and parasites such as the one that causes malaria, have been very promising. "The molecule showed remarkable activity against the various viruses and parasites tested. At very low doses, the efficacy in inhibiting infections reached 99%," says Nuno Alves, a PhD student at the FCTUC and member of the team.

The results obtained show that the new molecule "behaves very differently from the drugs on the market. While conventional antivirals act on the machinery of the virus itself, the BSS730A molecule acts at the level of the host, promoting the host's own response against the virus. Such a mechanism, in addition to having an innovative pharmacotherapeutic profile, is much less susceptible to the development of resistance by the virus," explains Alves, "in other words, the molecule has been shown to be active against multi-resistant strains of the same virus.

The team hopes to start clinical trials within three years. For this to happen, however, funding is needed. "A project of this kind requires a huge budget, around two million euros," says Nuno Alves. In order to obtain the funding that will allow the development of this groundbreaking technology, a start-up company has been created.

The Spiro4MALAIDS project was recently awarded a prize in the "Born from Knowledge Ideas" (BfK Ideas) competition in the health sector, promoted by the National Innovation Agency (ANI). This competition aims to promote the transfer of knowledge to industry.