Targets For The Design Of Antiviral Agents (nato Science Series A:)

This pUblication contains the Review Lectures presented at a joint NATO Advanced Study Institute and FEES Advanced Study Course held at Les Arcs, Bourg-8aint-Maurice, France, from the 19th June - 2nd July 1983. The Course, entitled "Targets for the Design of Antiviral Agents" was in some ways a sequel to the NATO-FEES Course held at SOGESTA (near Urbino), Italy from the 7th - 18th May 1979 and published as volume A26 in this series. During the subsequent four years, we have witnessed the first of the "new generation" of antiviral compounds, which are more efficacious and less toxic than the "classical" antiviral drugs, reach the clinic and we felt that it w~s the right time to assess the future prospects of this verY important and exciting field. The vast majority of the drugs developed recently have proved active against various members of the herpesvirus family and elsewhere in this publication we learn that the cure for only rather few viral diseases, such as the common cold, influenza and herpes, promises the return on investment required by the pharmaceutical industry. However, the aim of this Course was for eminent virologists to identify possible targets among the various virus classes against which the chemists could then design suitable therapeutic agents. Recent advances with antiherpesvirus drugs have shown that a far greater selectivity and therapeutic index can be obtained than was previously thought to be possible. This publication contains the Review Lectures presented at a joint NATO Advanced Study Institute and FEES Advanced Study Course held at Les Arcs, Bourg-8aint-Maurice, France, from the 19th June - 2nd July 1983. The Course, entitled "Targets for the Design of Antiviral Agents" was in some ways a sequel to the NATO-FEES Course held at SOGESTA (near Urbino), Italy from the 7th - 18th May 1979 and published as volume A26 in this series. During the subsequent four years, we have witnessed the first of the "new generation" of antiviral compounds, which are more efficacious and less toxic than the "classical" antiviral drugs, reach the clinic and we felt that it was the right time to assess the future prospects of this very important and exciting field. The vast majority of the drugs developed recently have proved active against various members of the herpesvirus family and elsewhere in this publication we learn that the cure for only rather few viral diseases, such as the common cold, influenza and herpes, promises the return on investment required by the pharmaceutical industry. However, the aim of this Course was for eminent virologists to identify possible targets among the various virus classes against which the chemists could then design suitable therapeutic agents. Recent advances with antiherpesvirus drugs have shown that a far greater selectivity and therapeutic index can be obtained than was previously thought to be possible Front Matter....Pages i-xii Overview of the Possible Targets for Viral Chemotherapy....Pages 1-27 Herpesvirus Target Considerations for the Design of Antiviral Agents....Pages 29-60 Picornaviruses and Togaviruses: Targets for Design of Antivirals....Pages 61-98 Targets in Negative Strand RNA Viruses (Excluding Ortho- and Paramyxoviruses)....Pages 99-119 Targets for the Design of Antiviral Agents: Targets in Orthomyxoviruses....Pages 121-130 Biologic and Chemotherapeutic Forays into the Field of Unconventional Viruses....Pages 131-157 Anti Influenza Virus Activity of Amantadine, Rimantadine and Analogues....Pages 159-176 Antiviral Action of 2-(α-Hydroxybenzyl)-Benzimidazole (HBB)....Pages 177-188 Antirhinovirus Drugs....Pages 189-202 Pyrimidine Nucleoside Analogues as Antiviral Agents....Pages 203-230 Purine Nucleoside Analogs as Antiviral Agents....Pages 231-257 Strategies in the Design of Oligonucleotides as Potential Antiviral Agents....Pages 259-285 Oligopeptides as Specific Antiviral Agents....Pages 287-305 Virus Associated DNA Polymerizing Activities: Their Role in Designing Antiviral and Antitumor Agents....Pages 307-335 Antiviral Agents: Why Not a “Penicillin” for Viral Infections?....Pages 337-362 Back Matter....Pages 363-378