DATE2026.04.16 #Press Releases

Atomic-level understanding of how anti-herpesvirus drugs work

Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.

-Combining Experimental and Computational Methods to Pave the Way for the Development of Next-Generation Antiviral Drugs-

Summary

A research group led by Assistant Professor Hikaru Sato and Associate Professor Toru Sengoku of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Yokohama City University, in collaboration with Professor Osamu Nureki of The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science, Professor Kaoru Fukuzawa of Osaka University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Dr. Hidetoshi Kono of the Quantum Science and Technology Agency, has determined the structure of a protein required for DNA replication by the herpes simplex virus. The structure of the protein required for DNA replication of herpes simplex virus has been determined, and how antiherpesvirus drugs inhibit its function has been elucidated. This research is expected to pave the way for the development of next-generation antiviral drugs that are effective against other herpes viruses. The research results will be published in Cell Chemical Biology, an international scientific journal published in the United States (April 16, 2026, midnight JST).

Figure: Structure of herpes simplex virus-derived HPC binding DNA and amenamivirHPC was divided into two modules, and both DNA and amenamivir were bound to the helicase module

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