Guest Editors
Malaika D. Argade
UICentre, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago
Dr. Malaika D. Argade earned her Master’s in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2012, followed by a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry in 2018, conducted in Dr. Malgorzata Dukat-Glennon’s laboratory at VCU. As a graduate student, Malaika focused her research on synthesizing small molecules that target ion channels and receptors in the central nervous system, which are implicated in neuronal diseases.After a brief but impactful period as a scientist in the Medicinal Chemistry Division at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the NIH, Malaika joined Dr. Andrew Riley’s laboratory at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) as a postdoctoral research associate. There, she worked on the synthesis and semi-synthesis of biologically relevant natural products and their derivatives.As a research assistant professor at the UICentre for Drug Discovery, Malaika is involved in several projects in antiviral and anticancer research. Her work specifically focuses on the early-stage drug discovery pipeline, which includes hit identification, hit-to-lead development, and lead optimization stages.
Kavita A. Iyer
CAS
Dr. Kavita A. Iyer graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Mumbai in 2011. After completing her undergraduate degree, she earned her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in the USA. At VCU, Kavita worked in Dr. Malgorzata Dukat-Glennon’s laboratory, where her research focused on synthesizing novel anti-depressant-like small molecules that target the human organic cation transporter 3 (hOCT3). She also conducted molecular modeling and docking studies as part of her graduate work.Following her PhD, she pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at VCU, where she trained as a structural biologist. Her work involved using cryo-electron microscopy to determine the structure of mutant ryanodine receptors, which are some of the largest calcium channels in the human body. This research aimed to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms underlying leaky channels.After a brief period as a research scientist at VCU, Kavita is currently part of a team of scientists at CAS. There, she analyzes large datasets to identify trends and gain insights across various fields, including medicinal chemistry, life sciences, and material science.
Collection Overview
Viruses, especially RNA viruses, are considered one of the top 10 global health threats by the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for effective, low-cost, and safe antiviral drugs to treat viruses with pandemic potential. In addition to new and emerging viral outbreaks, there is a significant risk from re-emerging or drug-resistant viruses, such as Ebola, Marburg, henipaviruses, and influenza. Therefore, drug discovery efforts focused on these viruses are crucial for addressing the lack of effective antiviral therapies.
This Methods Collection aims to showcase various techniques used in drug discovery to identify, optimize, and discover new antiviral drugs and repurpose existing medications. The methods discussed may include high-throughput screening of small molecules or natural products, chemical optimization through medicinal chemistry, and structural determination of key viral components. Special emphasis will be placed on the in vitro and in vivo biological evaluation of antiviral compounds.
