# A Structure-based Drug Discovery Effort to Combat COVID-19 and Future Outbreaks

> **NIH NIH R01** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2020 · $169,420

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China just a few months ago is
advancing at an incredible rate in the United States and the rest of the world. It is impacting everyone's lives,
as well as crippling the global economy, health care systems, and more. The disease is caused by the Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen, and it appears to exert its most
devastating effects on people's respiratory and pulmonary systems although recent reports have also cited
cardiac complications in otherwise healthy individuals. Based on analyzed data from confirmed cases in the
United States between February 12th and March 28th, the Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
disclosed that people with substance use disorders such as those with histories of smoking, as well as those
with diabetes, chronic lung disease, and heart disease may be at increased risk of developing severe
complications from COVID-19. Considering the prevalence of these health conditions in the United States, the
global COVID-19 cases approaching 1 million at the time of this writing, the alarming COVID-19 projections for
the month of April, the likelihood that COVID-19 becomes seasonal, and the fast pace at which SARS-CoV
pathogens evolve into forms with higher cross-species transmission and/or higher affinity for human receptors,
there
doctors
against
against
is no doubt that the scientific world must mobilize to offer as many solutions as possible to help medical
and health care providers save lives. Among these solutions, are suggestions for new medications
COVID-19, considering repurposed or may not prove effective
COVID-19. against
 drugs in clinical trials may
In this application, we propose to expand the range of potential medications
that currently
COVID-19 using a rational, structure-based drug discovery approach focused on the virus-receptor recognition
mechanism, which regulates its infection, pathogenesis, and host range.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10138462
- **Project number:** 3R01DA045473-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Marta Filizola
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $169,420
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-08-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10138462

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10138462, A Structure-based Drug Discovery Effort to Combat COVID-19 and Future Outbreaks (3R01DA045473-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10138462. Licensed CC0.

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