YSPH EMD Seminar - CMPK2 Is a Pan-flavivirus Restriction Factor

In the shadow of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, there is great interest in targeting interferon stimulated genes for developing new antiviral therapies rather than targeting viral proteins to minimize emergence of antiviral drug resistance. Small molecules targeting type I interferon-induced processes have been exploited as therapeutic targets for multiple viruses including Zika virus without much success in part due to the nature of the molecules not being suitable for clinical applications. My lab showed that the novel enzyme, human CMPK2 has a viperin-independent role in inhibiting flavivirus RNA translation, thus targeting CMPK2 would be an effective strategy in the development of novel antiviral therapies.