AI-designed antiviral medicines for coronaviruses and other RNA viruses
AI-driven Structure-enabled Antiviral Platform (ASAP)
Using artificial intelligence and protein-structure data to design new antiviral medicines for people affected by COVID-19 and future RNA virus outbreaks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11402071 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This program combines AI/machine learning with structural biology and computational chemistry to design small-molecule antivirals that block key viral proteins from coronaviruses, flaviviruses, and picornaviruses. Teams will pair computer-guided design with high-throughput X-ray fragment screening and rapid chemistry to make and test candidate compounds. The effort is open-science with a dedicated data infrastructure for rapid sharing of results to accelerate development. The goal is to produce clinic-ready antiviral compounds that could move into human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with recent or active infections from SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) or other RNA viruses, or those at high risk of exposure, could be candidates for future clinical trials of drugs developed by this program.
Not a fit: People with non-RNA infections (such as bacterial infections), those needing immediate emergency care, or those unable to join clinical trials are unlikely to benefit directly from this drug-discovery work in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could produce new oral antiviral drugs ready for clinical trials to treat COVID-19 and other RNA virus infections.
How similar studies have performed: Open-science efforts such as the COVID Moonshot have successfully moved antiviral candidates into preclinical development, showing this approach can yield promising leads, though broad success across multiple virus families is still unproven.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chodera, John Damon — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Chodera, John Damon
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.