The redesign of the molecular scaffold of viral ion channel blockers

The rise of new, rapidly mutating viruses presents increasing challenges for drug developers. Traditional methods, such as high-throughput screening and drug repurposing against mutagenic viral targets, have recently shown their limitations. Our current rational molecular engineering approach offers a sustainable solution by targeting viral ion channels, which generally have low mutation rates. First, extending the amantadine molecule led to the development of new compounds that better match the alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic patterns of the inner walls of ion channels—a common feature across many viruses. Then, simplifying the structure yielded a cyclohexylamine-based minimalist scaffold that effectively blocks the ion channel and demonstrates improved antiviral activity compared to well-known agents such as amantadine and arterolane. SARS-CoV-2 variants served as test systems in laboratory experiments. The new molecular scaffolds presented here provide a strong foundation for designing potent, broad-spectrum viral ion channel blockers.