Small molecules that can save life..

Scientists have identified a set of small molecules that can block the activity of a key protein in SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, a finding that provides a promising path for new therapeutics for the disease .

The team of researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the US noted that the SARS-CoV-2 protein PLpro is essential for the replication and the ability of the virus to suppress host immune function. The compounds, naphthalene-based PLpro inhibitors, are shown to be effective at halting SARS-CoV-2 PLpro activity as well as replication, according to the research published in the journal ACS Infectious Diseases .