Therapeutics for flaviviral infections

Abstract

Flaviviruses are vector-borne pathogens capable of causing devastating human diseases. The re-emergence of Zika in 2016 notoriously led to a widescale epidemic in the Americas. New daunting evidence suggests that a single mutation in Zika virus genome may increase transmission and pathogenesis, further highlighting the need to be prepared for flavivirus outbreaks. Dengue, in particular infects about 400 million people each year, leading to reoccurring local outbreaks. Public health efforts to mitigate flavivirus transmission is largely dependent on vector control strategies, as only a limited number of flavivirus vaccines have been developed thus far. There are currently no commercially available antivirals for flaviviruses, leaving supportive care as the primary treatment option. In this review, we will briefly paint a broad picture of the flavivirus landscape in terms of therapeutics, with particular focus on viral targets, promising novel compounds entering the drug discovery pipeline, as well as model systems for evaluating drug efficacy.