Virologists at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine are leading new research on Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and bat coronaviruses with pandemic potential. Professors Kyeong-Ok “KC” Chang and Yunjeong Kim are continuing their 2018 collaboration with medicinal chemist William C. Groutas from Wichita State University and virologist Stanley Perlman from the University of Iowa.

Their project, “Small Molecule Protease Inhibitors against MERS-CoV and Coronaviruses of Pandemic Potential,” has been awarded a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

MERS, which emerged in 2012, causes severe respiratory illness with a high mortality rate, and there are currently no FDA-approved vaccines or antiviral treatments.

The research has identified a promising compound that could be essential in developing orally bioavailable antivirals for MERS-CoV. The coronavirus 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is a key therapeutic target due to its role in processing viral polyproteins and virus replication. The team aims to use their inhibitors against 3CLpro in bat sarbecoviruses and merbecoviruses within the Betacoronavirus genus, which pose a high risk of spilling over into humans.

The grant will also support the hiring of new staff at K-State and Wichita State and help retain existing team members initially funded by the 2018 grant.