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Doijen J, Heo I, Temmerman K, Vermeulen P, Diels A, Jaensch S, Burcin M, Van den Broeck N, Raeymaekers V, Peremans J, Konings K, Clement M, Peeters D, Van Loock M, Koul A, Buyck C, Van Gool M, Van Damme E. A flexible, image-based, high-throughput platform encompassing in-depth cell profiling to identify broad-spectrum coronavirus antivirals with limited off-target effects. Antiviral Res 2024; 222:105789. [PMID: 38158129 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) posed a major threat to global health. Although the World Health Organization ended the public health emergency status, antiviral drugs are needed to address new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and future pandemics. To identify novel broad-spectrum coronavirus drugs, we developed a high-content imaging platform compatible with high-throughput screening. The platform is broadly applicable as it can be adapted to include various cell types, viruses, antibodies, and dyes. We demonstrated that the antiviral activity of compounds against SARS-CoV-2 variants (Omicron BA.5 and Omicron XBB.1.5), SARS-CoV, and human coronavirus 229E could easily be assessed. The inclusion of cellular dyes and immunostaining in combination with in-depth image analysis enabled us to identify compounds that induced undesirable phenotypes in host cells, such as changes in cell morphology or in lysosomal activity. With the platform, we screened ∼900K compounds and triaged hits, thereby identifying potential candidate compounds carrying broad-spectrum activity with limited off-target effects. The flexibility and early-stage identification of compounds with limited host cell effects provided by this high-content imaging platform can facilitate coronavirus drug discovery. We anticipate that its rapid deployability and fast turnaround can also be applied to combat future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Doijen
- Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Inha Heo
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Koen Temmerman
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Peter Vermeulen
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Annick Diels
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Steffen Jaensch
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Mark Burcin
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | | | | | - Joren Peremans
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Katrien Konings
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Maxime Clement
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Danielle Peeters
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Marnix Van Loock
- Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Anil Koul
- Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Christophe Buyck
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Michiel Van Gool
- Therapeutics Discovery R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
| | - Ellen Van Damme
- Global Public Health R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340, Beerse, Belgium.
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Li LH, Chiu W, Huang YA, Rasulova M, Vercruysse T, Thibaut HJ, Ter Horst S, Rocha-Pereira J, Vanhoof G, Borrenberghs D, Goethals O, Kaptein SJF, Leyssen P, Neyts J, Dallmeier K. Multiplexed multicolor antiviral assay amenable for high-throughput research. Nat Commun 2024; 15:42. [PMID: 38168091 PMCID: PMC10761739 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44339-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
To curb viral epidemics and pandemics, antiviral drugs are needed with activity against entire genera or families of viruses. Here, we develop a cell-based multiplex antiviral assay for high-throughput screening against multiple viruses at once, as demonstrated by using three distantly related orthoflaviviruses: dengue, Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever virus. Each virus is tagged with a distinct fluorescent protein, enabling individual monitoring in cell culture through high-content imaging. Specific antisera and small-molecule inhibitors are employed to validate that multiplexing approach yields comparable inhibition profiles to single-virus infection assays. To facilitate downstream analysis, a kernel is developed to deconvolute and reduce the multidimensional quantitative data to three cartesian coordinates. The methodology is applicable to viruses from different families as exemplified by co-infections with chikungunya, parainfluenza and Bunyamwera viruses. The multiplex approach is expected to facilitate the discovery of broader-spectrum antivirals, as shown in a pilot screen of approximately 1200 drug-like small-molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Hsin Li
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
- Molecular Vaccinology and Vaccine Discovery group, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Winston Chiu
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yun-An Huang
- KU Leuven Department of Neuroscience, Research Group Neurophysiology, Laboratory for Circuit Neuroscience, Leuven, Belgium
- Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders (NERF), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Madina Rasulova
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Translational Platform Virology and Chemotherapy (TPVC), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thomas Vercruysse
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Translational Platform Virology and Chemotherapy (TPVC), Leuven, Belgium
- AstriVax, Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Hendrik Jan Thibaut
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Translational Platform Virology and Chemotherapy (TPVC), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan Ter Horst
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
- Cerba Research, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joana Rocha-Pereira
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Greet Vanhoof
- Janssen Therapeutics Discovery, Janssen Pharmaceutica, NV, Beerse, Belgium
| | | | - Olivia Goethals
- Janssen Global Public Health, Janssen Pharmaceutica, NV, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Suzanne J F Kaptein
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pieter Leyssen
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Johan Neyts
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kai Dallmeier
- KU Leuven Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Leuven, Belgium.
- Molecular Vaccinology and Vaccine Discovery group, Leuven, Belgium.
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Subramani C, Sharma G, Chaira T, Barman TK. High content screening strategies for large-scale compound libraries with a focus on high-containment viruses. Antiviral Res 2024; 221:105764. [PMID: 38008193 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2023.105764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
A majority of viral diseases do not have FDA-approved drugs. The recent outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox, and Sudan ebolavirus have exposed the critical need for rapid screening and identification of antiviral compounds against emerging/re-emerging viral pathogens. A high-content screening (HCS) platform is becoming an essential part of the drug discovery process, thanks to developments in image acquisition and analysis. While HCS has several advantages, its full potential has not been realized in antiviral drug discovery compared to conventional drug screening approaches, such as fluorescence or luminescence-based microplate assays. Therefore, this review aims to summarize HCS workflow, strategies, and developments in image-based drug screening, focusing on high-containment viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandru Subramani
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Ghanshyam Sharma
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Tridib Chaira
- Department of Pharmacology, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Tarani Kanta Barman
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA; Galveston National Laboratory, Galveston, TX, USA.
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van Eijk N, Schmacke LC, Steinmetzer T, Pilgram O, Poór M, Pászti-Gere E. In vitro testing of host-targeting small molecule antiviral matriptase/TMPRSS2 inhibitors in 2D and 3D cell-based assays. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 168:115761. [PMID: 37865989 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic strongly stimulated the development of small molecule antivirals selectively targeting type II transmembrane serine proteases (TTSP), required for the host-cell entry of numerous viruses. A set of 3-amidinophenylalanine derivatives (MI-21, MI-472, MI-477, MI-485, MI-1903 and MI-1904), which inhibit the cleavage of certain viral glycoproteins was characterized in 2D and 3D primary human hepatocyte models on collagen- and Matrigel-coating using a CCK-8 assay to evaluate their cytotoxicity, a resorufin-based method to detect redox imbalances, fluorescence and ultrafiltration experiments to evaluate their interactions with human serum albumin (HSA) and α-acidic glycoprotein (AGP), and luminescence measurement to assess CYP3A4 modulation. For elucidation of selectivity of the applied compounds towards matriptase, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRRS2), thrombin and factor Xa (FXa) Ki values were determined. It was proven that cell viability was only deteriorated by inhibitor MI-1903, and redox status was not influenced by administration of the selected inhibitors at 50 µM for 24 h. MI-472 and MI-477 formed relatively stable complexes with AGP. CYP3A4 inhibition was found to be strong in PHHs exposed to all inhibitors with the exception of MI-21, which seems to be a promising drug candidate also due to its better selectivity towards matriptase and TMPRSS2 over the blood clotting proteases thrombin and FXa. Our in vitro pharmacokinetic screening with these inhibitors helps to select the compounds with the best selectivity and safety profile suitable for a further preclinical characterization without animal sacrifice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas van Eijk
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, Budapest H-1078, Hungary
| | - Luna C Schmacke
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Philipps University Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6-10, Marburg 35037, Germany
| | - Torsten Steinmetzer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Philipps University Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6-10, Marburg 35037, Germany
| | - Oliver Pilgram
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Pharmacy, Philipps University Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6-10, Marburg 35037, Germany
| | - Miklós Poór
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Pécs, Rókus u. 2, Pécs H-7624, Hungary; Lab-on-a-Chip Research Group, János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, Ifjúság útja 20, Pécs H-7624, Hungary
| | - Erzsébet Pászti-Gere
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István utca 2, Budapest H-1078, Hungary.
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