Developing new oral medicines for COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections
Official title: Optimization of orally bioavailable inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 and other human coronavirus infections
Funded at Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC. · NIH-11091599 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to create new oral medications that can effectively fight COVID-19 and protect against future coronavirus outbreaks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Malvern, United States) |
| Project start | June 7, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $999,998 |
| NIH project number | 5R44AI177015-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11091599 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who might benefit from this research are those with COVID-19 or other coronavirus infections, particularly if current treatments are not suitable for them.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without coronavirus infections would not directly benefit from this specific antiviral medication development.
What this research studies
Researchers are working to improve a new type of medicine that can stop coronaviruses from entering human cells. The goal is to make these medicines more powerful against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, and other related viruses. They are also focusing on making sure these medicines are well-absorbed by the body and safe to use. This work is crucial because existing treatments like Paxlovid may not be suitable for everyone or effective against new virus variants. The ultimate aim is to identify a promising new drug candidate that can move forward into safety testing before human trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new, effective, and safe oral treatments for COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections, especially for patients who cannot use current medications.
How similar studies have gone: While existing oral antivirals for COVID-19 have shown success, this project focuses on developing new compounds with different mechanisms of action to address limitations of current options.
Where this research is happening
-
Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC.
Malvern, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Coburn, Glen — Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC.
- Study coordinator: Coburn, Glen
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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.