# Discovery of novel Henipavirus inhibitors

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON · 2022 · $5,291,771

## Abstract

PROJECT 3 – ABSTRACT
The goal of this project is to discover novel henipavirus inhibitors. Henipavirus is a deadly airborne respiratory
pathogen that are under-researched and poorly understood. Antiviral therapy is urgently needed for
henipaviruses for pandemic preparedness. We will achieve the goal by pursuing three aims. (i) Screen and
identify novel compounds for Nipah and/or Hendra virus inhibition. Since Nipah and Hendra viruses should be
handled at BSL4, it is challenging to perform high-throughput screen at high containment. To overcome this
bottleneck, we will use a BSL2 Cedar henipavirus as a surrogate system for antiviral screen. Hits identified from
the Cedar henipavirus assay will be validated in Hendra and Nipah viruses at the BSL4 facility. (ii) Develop tool
compounds, determine target protein, and optimize molecules. (iii) Evaluate lead compounds in relevant in vitro
and in vivo models and select Development Candidate for IND-enabling studies. The proposed cell-based
approach may discover novel antiviral targets that may not be tractable for target-based antiviral approach.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10514154
- **Project number:** 1U19AI171413-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas William Geisbert
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $5,291,771
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-05-16 → 2025-03-24

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10514154

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10514154, Discovery of novel Henipavirus inhibitors (1U19AI171413-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10514154. Licensed CC0.

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