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Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print 1 citation

PubMed: 42599129 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2026.2716137

A network-driven antiviral discovery pipeline for emerging RNA viruses: a critical perspective from the Red Mexicana de Desarrollo de Antivirales (RMDA).

Expert Opin Drug Discov

Authors: Luis Adrián De Jesús-González, Alan Orlando Santos-Mena, Carlos Noé Farfán-Morales, Moisés León-Juárez, José Manuel Reyes-Ruiz, Juan Fidel Osuna-Ramos, Carlos Daniel Cordero-Rivera, Selvin Noé Palacios-Rápalo, Flor Itzel Lira-Hernández, Rosa María Del Ángel

Affiliations

  • Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Unidad de Investigación Biomédica de Zacatecas, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Zacatecas, Mexico.
  • Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis, Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CIN VESTAV-IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
  • Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Unidad Cuajimalpa, Mexico City, Mexico.
  • Laboratorio de Virología Perinatal y Diseño Molecular de Antígenos y Biomarcadores, Departamento de Inmunobioquimica, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología "Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes", Mexico City, Mexico.
  • División de Investigación en Salud, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Hospital de Especialidades No. 14, Centro Médico Nacional "Adolfo Ruiz Cortines", Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Veracruz, Mexico.
  • Facultad de Medicina, Región Veracruz, Universidad Veracruzana (UV), Veracruz, Mexico.
  • Laboratorio de Virología y Diseño de Antivirales, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa (UAS), Culiacán, Mexico.
  • Dirección General, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Ciudad de México, México.
  • Structural Virology Unit, Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

RNA viruses impose a disproportionate burden of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases in Latin America, yet antiviral discovery in the region remains fragmented, target-limited, and frequently disconnected from translational pathways. This perspective discusses the Red Mexicana de Desarrollo de Antivirales (RMDA) as a network-driven model to organize antiviral discovery against clinically relevant RNA viruses.

AREAS COVERED

The authors describe the conceptual architecture of RMDA, a multi-institutional Mexican initiative that integrates computational prioritization, cell-based antiviral evaluation under BSL-2/BSL-3 conditions, mechanistic virology, assessment of pharmacological synergy, in vivo validation, and clinical linkage through healthcare systems such as the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. The framework is supported by prior work from participating groups on host-directed and virus-directed candidates, including metabolic modulators, lipid-lowering agents, nuclear transport inhibitors, natural products, polyphenols, melatonin, and rational drug combinations evaluated against dengue virus, Zika virus, SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus, and related RNA viruses.

EXPERT OPINION

RMDA provides a scalable and regionally adaptable model for antiviral drug discovery in low- and middle-income settings. By aligning distributed expertise, standardized workflows, and translational decision points, this framework may accelerate candidate prioritization, reduce duplication, and strengthen preparedness against RNA virus threats in Mexico and Latin America.

MeSH

Sars-Cov-2, Pharmaceutical Preparations, Drug Design, Zika Virus, Work, Viruses, Rna Viruses, Antiviral Agents