Assessing the reaction to and efficacy of the Screener drug discovery and development board game as a pedagogical tool in postgraduate courses

Screener, a board game supplemented with online resources, was introduced and distributed by the Brazilian Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics to postgraduate programs as an instructional tool for the process of drug discovery and development (DDD). In this study, we provided a comprehensive analysis of five critical aspects for evaluating the quality of educational games, namely: 1) description of the intervention; 2) underlying pedagogical theory; 3) identification of local educational gaps; 4) impact on diverse stakeholders; and 5) elucidation of iterative quality enhancement processes. We also present qualitative and quantitative assessments of the effectiveness of this game in 11 postgraduate courses. We employed the MEEGA+ online survey, comprising thirty-three close-ended unipolar items with 5-point Likert-type response scales, to assess student perceptions of the quality and utility of Screener. Based on 115 responses, the results indicated a highly positive outlook among students. In addition, we performed a preliminary evaluation of learning outcomes in two courses involving 28 students. Pre- and post-quizzes were applied, each consisting of 20 True/False questions directly aligned with the game's content. The analysis revealed significant improvement in students' performance following engagement with the game, with scores rising from 8.4 to 13.3 (P<0.0001, paired t-test) and 9.7 to 12.7 (P<0.0001, paired t-test). These findings underscore the utility of Screener as an enjoyable and effective tool for facilitating a positive learning experience in the DDD process. Notably, the game can also reduce the educational disparities across different regions of our continental country.

The evolution and application progress of non-modified drug target discovery CETSA technology / 药学学报

Understanding the research methods for drug protein targets is crucial for the development of new drugs, clinical applications of drugs, drug mechanisms, and the pathogenesis of diseases. Cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), a target research method without modification, has been widely used since its development. Now, there are various CETSA-based technology combinations, such as mass spectrometry-based cellular thermal shift assay (MS-CETSA), isothermal dose response-cellular thermal shift assay (ITDR-CETSA), amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay-cellular thermal shift assay (Alpha-CETSA), etc., which combine their respective advantages and further expand the application scope of CETSA. These technologies are suitable for the entire drug development chain, from drug screening to monitoring the target binding and off-target toxicity of drugs in patients. Based on the author's research experience, this paper reviews the principles of CETSA and related binding technologies, their application in target discovery, and the progress of data processing and analysis in recent years, aiming to provide reference and reference for the further application of CETSA.

Recent advances in drug screening methods of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein / 药学学报

The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a serious impact on global public health and the economy. SARS-CoV-2 infiltrates host cells via its surface spike protein, which binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 on the host cell membrane. As a result, small molecules targeting spike protein have emerged as a hotspot in anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug research. Activity screening is an important step in seeking small molecule drugs. Therefore, this article aims to review the biological activity evaluation methods of small molecule inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, with the goal of laying the foundation for the discovery of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

First-in-class small molecule drugs in 2023 / 药学学报

In 2023, drug discovery develops steadily, with improvement of small molecule drugs discovery keeps pace with biological drugs in this year. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of U.S. Food and Drug Administration has totally approved 55 kinds of new drugs which have significantly promotion compared to 37 new drugs approval in 2022, including 38 kinds of new molecular entities, 17 kinds of biological drugs, 5 kinds of gene therapeutics and 2 cell therapeutics. The proportion of first-in-class drugs increased steadily, with 13 small molecule first-in-class drugs and 7 biological first-in-class drugs approved this year, mostly in the fields of cancer and rare diseases. Among them, a plurality of first-initiated small molecule drugs exhibits breakthrough significance, such as the first neurokinin 3 (NK3) receptor antagonist fezolinetant, the first retinoic acid receptor (RIG-I) agonist palovarotene, the first protein kinase B (AKT) inhibitor capivasertib, the first complement factor B inhibitor iptacopan, etc. The pioneering drug has huge academic and commercial value, and has become the target of the academic and industrial circles. However, first-in-class drugs not only need new targets, new mechanisms and new molecules, but also need to comprehensively verify the causality between new targets and diseases, study the correlation between new mechanisms and drug efficacy, and explore the balance between new molecules and drug-manufacturing properties. This article analyzed the research background, development process and therapeutic application of three first-initiated small molecule drugs in this year, expecting to provide more research ideas and methods for more first-in-class drugs.

Evolution of chemistry and selection technology for DNA-encoded library

DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) links the power of amplifiable genetics and the non-self-replicating chemical phenotypes, generating a diverse chemical world. In analogy with the biological world, the DEL world can evolve by using a chemical central dogma, wherein DNA replicates using the PCR reactions to amplify the genetic codes, DNA sequencing transcripts the genetic information, and DNA-compatible synthesis translates into chemical phenotypes. Importantly, DNA-compatible synthesis is the key to expanding the DEL chemical space. Besides, the evolution-driven selection system pushes the chemicals to evolve under the selective pressure, i.e., desired selection strategies. In this perspective, we summarized recent advances in expanding DEL synthetic toolbox and panning strategies, which will shed light on the drug discovery harnessing in vitro evolution of chemicals via DEL.

Structure-based development of potent and selective type-II kinase inhibitors of RIPK1

Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) functions as a key regulator in inflammation and cell death and is involved in mediating a variety of inflammatory or degenerative diseases. A number of allosteric RIPK1 inhibitors (RIPK1i) have been developed, and some of them have already advanced into clinical evaluation. Recently, selective RIPK1i that interact with both the allosteric pocket and the ATP-binding site of RIPK1 have started to emerge. Here, we report the rational development of a new series of type-II RIPK1i based on the rediscovery of a reported but mechanistically atypical RIPK3i. We also describe the structure-guided lead optimization of a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable RIPK1i, 62, which exhibits extraordinary efficacies in mouse models of acute or chronic inflammatory diseases. Collectively, 62 provides a useful tool for evaluating RIPK1 in animal disease models and a promising lead for further drug development.

A multidimensional platform of patient-derived tumors identifies drug susceptibilities for clinical lenvatinib resistance

Lenvatinib, a second-generation multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by the FDA for first-line treatment of advanced liver cancer, facing limitations due to drug resistance. Here, we applied a multidimensional, high-throughput screening platform comprising patient-derived resistant liver tumor cells (PDCs), organoids (PDOs), and xenografts (PDXs) to identify drug susceptibilities for conquering lenvatinib resistance in clinically relevant settings. Expansion and passaging of PDCs and PDOs from resistant patient liver tumors retained functional fidelity to lenvatinib treatment, expediting drug repurposing screens. Pharmacological screening identified romidepsin, YM155, apitolisib, NVP-TAE684 and dasatinib as potential antitumor agents in lenvatinib-resistant PDC and PDO models. Notably, romidepsin treatment enhanced antitumor response in syngeneic mouse models by triggering immunogenic tumor cell death and blocking the EGFR signaling pathway. A combination of romidepsin and immunotherapy achieved robust and synergistic antitumor effects against lenvatinib resistance in humanized immunocompetent PDX models. Collectively, our findings suggest that patient-derived liver cancer models effectively recapitulate lenvatinib resistance observed in clinical settings and expedite drug discovery for advanced liver cancer, providing a feasible multidimensional platform for personalized medicine.

Organoides de origen humano como modelo fisiopatológico de evaluación terapéutica de fármacos en COVID-19 / Organoids as a physiopathology model and therapeutic drug evaluation tool in COVID-19

Introducción: La pandemia causada por SARS-CoV-2 ha impactado al mundo gravemente en diversos ámbitos y con ello ha surgido la necesidad de contar con herramientas con mayor relevancia fisiológica para investigar patologías complejas como el COVID-19. Los organoides son un modelo experimental con características únicas como la capacidad de autoformar una estructura tridimensional utilizando células en cultivo. Sobre esta base, surge la siguiente pregunta ¿son los organoides un modelo experimental factible para reflejar la fisiopatología del COVID-19 y evaluar la eficacia de fármacos que limiten su progresión? Metodología: Para abordar esta interrogante, esta revisión plantea el analizar la validez de los organoides como modelo experimental y verificar su utilidad en la evaluación de fármacos para el COVID-19. Para cumplir estos objetivos se realizó una revisión sistemática cualitativa de la literatura, a través de una búsqueda en PubMed con el término 'COVID-19 and stem cells and organoids' y también en un número especial de la revista Cell. Resultados: Se organizaron los resultados relevantes por sistema fisiológico y en la evaluación de fármacos. Los organoides más empleados para estudios de COVID-19 correspondieron a tejido respiratorio, nervioso y digestivo. Algunos resultados encontrados en la revisión fueron similares a aquellos obtenidos a partir de tejidos de pacientes COVID-19 o autopsias, encontrándose hallazgos relevantes como la posible disrupción de la barrera epitelial del sistema nervioso por infección del plexo coroideo. También se logró observar efectividad de fármacos que posteriormente pasaron a ser aprobados y utilizados exitosamente en pacientes. Conclusión: Los organoides se pueden componer a partir de diferentes tipos celulares y bajo diferentes protocolos experimentales, siendo relevante la lectura crítica de los artículos científicos para decidir si sus resultados son extrapolables a la fisiopatología de la enfermedad.

Introduction: The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has impacted the world severely in several aspects and has created the need for research tools to study the COVID-19 disease. Organoids are experimental models with unique characteristics, like the ability to self-assemble in a tridimensional structure. Based on this, the following question arises: are organoids an experimental model suitable to reflect the physiopathology of COVID-19 and to allow the evaluation of the efficacy of drugs that limit its progression? Methods: To approach this question, this review aimed to analyze the validity of organoids as an experimental model and verify their utility in COVID-19 drug evaluation. To resolve these objectives, a qualitative systematic review was done through a PubMed search with the terms 'COVID-19 and stem cells and organoids' and on a special issue of the Cell Journal. Results: The results were organized by physiologic system and therapeutic drug evaluation. The most utilized tissues for the COVID-19 study were respiratory, nervous, and digestive. Some results found in the review were like those obtained from COVID-19 patient tissue or autopsies, finding some relevant discoveries like the possibility of the choroid plexus disruption in the nervous system caused by the infection. Efficacy was also observed in approved drugs and used later in patients successfully. Conclusion: Organoids might be composed starting with different cell types and under a variety of experimental protocols, being relevant the critical reading of the scientific literature to decide whether their results can be extrapolated to the pathophysiology of the disease

Epistemología de la investigación social / Epistemology of social research

INTRODUCCIÓN. La epistemología, rama de la filosofía que estudia el proceso de investigación y su producto el conocimiento científico, implica ámbitos de la ciencia con enfoque positivismo y postpositivismo, interpretativismo, teoría crítica; y, transcomplejo, cada uno de ellos con los elementos paradigmáticos de: ontología, epistemología y metodología, su conocimiento y aplicabilidad en los diferentes ámbitos es fundamental porque sus enfoques generan ciencia. OBJETIVO. Desarrollar capacidades intelectuales en bases contextuales y teóricas en epistemología de la investigación social, indispensables para el ejercicio profesional en el ámbito de la investigación científica y del conocimiento científico. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS. Estudio observacional, descriptivo, con población y muestra conocida de 30 modalidades de publicación, periodo junio a julio 2020. Los criterios de inclusión fueron: fuentes secundarias de información bibliográfica validadas en el ámbito de las ciencias sociales. La técnica de observación fue en buscadores bibliográficos PUBMED, Scielo, Scopus, Diccionario de Descriptores en Ciencias de la Salud y la Real Academia Española. La tarea de revisar la literatura de investigación comprendió la identificación, selección, análisis crítico, descripción escrita, interpretación, discusión y conclusión de la información que existe sobre la epistemología de la investigación social, tema, que se registró con aplicación de un gestor de referencias bibliográficas, tipo Microsoft Word. RESULTADOS. Se logró obtener capacidades intelectuales al estructurar la cronológica de la epistemología de la investigación social, del conocimiento científico y nuevas perspectivas para el ejercicio profesional en el ámbito de la investigación científica. CONCLUSIÓN. Las perspectivas se orientan a integrar paradigmas pasados y futuros con visión de transcomplejidad, espacios organológicos de una gran red, conformación de cibercomunidades de investigación, uso de método integrador, nuevo lenguaje en equipos multidisciplinarios, agentes como el foco principal de la teoridad epistémica en espacio, tiempo y la relación entre las cosas.

INTRODUCTION. Epistemology, a branch of philosophy that studies the research process and its product, scientific knowledge, involves areas of science focussed in with positivism and postpositivism, interpretivism, critical theory; and, transcomplex, each one of them with the paradigmatic elements of: ontology, epistemology and methodology, their knowledge and applicability in the different fields is fundamental because their approaches generate science. OBJECTIVE. Develop intellectual capacities on contextual and theoretical bases in the epistemology of social research, essential for professional practice in the field of scientific research and scientific knowledge. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Observational, descriptive study, with population and a known sample of 30 publication modalities, period June to July 2020. The inclusion criteria were: secondary sources of bibliographic information validated in the field of social sciences. The observation technique was in bibliographic search engines PUBMED, Scielo, Scopus, Dictionary of Descriptors in Health Sciences and the Royal Spanish Academy. The task of reviewing the research literature included the identification, selection, critical analysis, written description, interpretation, discussion and conclusion of the information that exists on the epistemology of social research, subject, which was registered with the application of a reference manager bibliographic, Microsoft Word type. RESULTS. Intellectual capacities were obtained by structuring the chronology of the epistemology of social research, scientific knowledge and new perspectives for professional practice in the field of scientific research. CONCLUSION. The perspectives are aimed at integrating past and future paradigms with a vision of transcomplexity, organological spaces of a large network, formation of research cyber communities, use of integrative method, new language in multidisciplinary teams, agents as the main focus of epistemic theory in space, time and the relationship between things.

Discovery of new Schistosoma mansoni aspartyl protease inhibitors by structure-based virtual screening

BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by trematodes of the genus Schistosoma, with a limited treatment, mainly based on the use of praziquantel (PZQ). Currently, several aspartic proteases genes have already been identified within the genome of Schistosoma species. At least one enzyme encoded from this gene family (SmAP), named SmCD1, has been validated for the development of schistosomicidal drugs, since it has a key role in haemoglobin digestion by worms. OBJECTIVE In this work, we integrated a structure-based virtual screening campaign, enzymatic assays and adult worms ex vivo experiments aiming to discover the first classes of SmCD1 inhibitors. METHODS Initially, the 3D-structures of SmCD1, SmCD2 and SmCD3 were generated using homology modelling approach. Using these models, we prioritised 50 compounds from 20,000 compounds from ChemBridge database for further testing in adult worm aqueous extract (AWAE) and recombinant SmCD1 using enzymatic assays. FINDINGS Seven compounds were confirmed as hits and among them, two compounds representing new chemical scaffolds, named 5 and 19, had IC50 values against SmCD1 close to 100 μM while presenting binding efficiency indexes comparable to or even higher than pepstatin, a classical tight-binding peptide inhibitor of aspartyl proteases. Upon activity comparison against mammalian enzymes, compound 50 was selective and the most potent against the AWAE aspartic protease activity (IC50 = 77.7 μM). Combination of computational and experimental results indicate that compound 50 is a selective inhibitor of SmCD2. Compounds 5, 19 and 50 tested at low concentrations (10 uM) were neither cytotoxic against WSS-1 cells (48 h) nor could kill adult worms ex-vivo, although compounds 5 and 50 presented a slight decrease on female worms motility on late incubations times (48 or 72 h). MAIN CONCLUSION Overall, the inhibitors identified in this work represent promising hits for further hit-to-lead optimisation.

FBDD and drugs originated from FBDD / 药学学报

The binding of small molecule drugs to targets is mostly through non-covalent bonds, and hydrogen bond, electrostatic, hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions function to maintain the binding force. The more these binding factors lead to strong bindings and high activities. However, it is often accompanied by the increase of molecular size, resulting in pharmacokinetic problems such as membrane penetration and absorption, as well as metabolism, which ultimately affects the drug success. Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is to screen high-quality fragment library to find hits. Combine with structural biology, FBDD generates lead compounds by means of fragment growth, linking and fusion, and finally drug candidates by the optimization operation. During the value chain FBDD is closely related to structure-based drug discovery (SBDD). In this paper, the principle of FBDD is briefly described by several launched drugs.

Discovery and distribution of and response to arbovirus in China over the past seven decades / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Arbovirus is a group of virus transmitted by blood-sucking arthropod bites, which infects both arthropods and vertebrates. More than 600 arboviruses have been characterized worldwide until now, including 65 highly pathogenic viruses, which pose a high threat to public health. The risk of arbovirus transmission is increasing due to climate change, international trade and urbanization. The review summarizes the discovery and distribution of emerging and reemerging arboviruses and novel arboviruses with potential pathogenic risks, and proposes responses to the arbovirus transmission risk, so as to provide insights into the research and management of arboviruses and arthropod-borne infectious diseases in China.

Discovery of a highly potent and orally available importin-β1 inhibitor that overcomes enzalutamide-resistance in advanced prostate cancer

Nuclear transporter importin-β1 is emerging as an attractive target by virtue of its prevalence in many cancers. However, the lack of druggable inhibitors restricts its therapeutic proof of concept. In the present work, we optimized a natural importin-β1 inhibitor DD1 to afford an improved analog DD1-Br with better tolerability (>25 folds) and oral bioavailability. DD1-Br inhibited the survival of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells with sub-nanomolar potency and completely prevented tumor growth in resistant CRPC models both in monotherapy (0.5 mg/kg) and in enzalutamide-combination therapy. Mechanistic study revealed that by targeting importin-β1, DD1-Br markedly inhibited the nuclear accumulation of multiple CRPC drivers, particularly AR-V7, a main contributor to enzalutamide resistance, leading to the integral suppression of downstream oncogenic signaling. This study provides a promising lead for CRPC and demonstrates the potential of overcoming drug resistance in advanced CRPC via targeting importin-β1.

Function, mechanism and drug discovery of ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like modification with multiomics profiling for cancer therapy

Ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) pathways are critical post-translational modifications that determine whether functional proteins are degraded or activated/inactivated. To date, >600 associated enzymes have been reported that comprise a hierarchical task network (e.g., E1-E2-E3 cascade enzymatic reaction and deubiquitination) to modulate substrates, including enormous oncoproteins and tumor-suppressive proteins. Several strategies, such as classical biochemical approaches, multiomics, and clinical sample analysis, were combined to elucidate the functional relations between these enzymes and tumors. In this regard, the fundamental advances and follow-on drug discoveries have been crucial in providing vital information concerning contemporary translational efforts to tailor individualized treatment by targeting Ub and Ubl pathways. Correspondingly, emphasizing the current progress of Ub-related pathways as therapeutic targets in cancer is deemed essential. In the present review, we summarize and discuss the functions, clinical significance, and regulatory mechanisms of Ub and Ubl pathways in tumorigenesis as well as the current progress of small-molecular drug discovery. In particular, multiomics analyses were integrated to delineate the complexity of Ub and Ubl modifications for cancer therapy. The present review will provide a focused and up-to-date overview for the researchers to pursue further studies regarding the Ub and Ubl pathways targeted anticancer strategies.

Drug discovery by targeting the protein-protein interactions involved in autophagy

Autophagy is a cellular process in which proteins and organelles are engulfed in autophagosomal vesicles and transported to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a crucial role at many stages of autophagy, which present formidable but attainable targets for autophagy regulation. Moreover, selective regulation of PPIs tends to have a lower risk in causing undesired off-target effects in the context of a complicated biological network. Thus, small-molecule regulators, including peptides and peptidomimetics, targeting the critical PPIs involved in autophagy provide a new opportunity for innovative drug discovery. This article provides general background knowledge of the critical PPIs involved in autophagy and reviews a range of successful attempts on discovering regulators targeting those PPIs. Successful strategies and existing limitations in this field are also discussed.

Functional annotation map of natural compounds in traditional Chinese medicines library: TCMs with myocardial protection as a case

The chemical complexity of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) makes the active and functional annotation of natural compounds challenging. Herein, we developed the TCMs-Compounds Functional Annotation platform (TCMs-CFA) for large-scale predicting active compounds with potential mechanisms from TCM complex system, without isolating and activity testing every single compound one by one. The platform was established based on the integration of TCMs knowledge base, chemome profiling, and high-content imaging. It mainly included: (1) selection of herbal drugs of target based on TCMs knowledge base; (2) chemome profiling of TCMs extract library by LC‒MS; (3) cytological profiling of TCMs extract library by high-content cell-based imaging; (4) active compounds discovery by combining each mass signal and multi-parametric cell phenotypes; (5) construction of functional annotation map for predicting the potential mechanisms of lead compounds. In this stud TCMs with myocardial protection were applied as a case study, and validated for the feasibility and utility of the platform. Seven frequently used herbal drugs (Ginseng, etc.) were screened from 100,000 TCMs formulas for myocardial protection and subsequently prepared as a library of 700 extracts. By using TCMs-CFA platform, 81 lead compounds, including 10 novel bioactive ones, were quickly identified by correlating 8089 mass signals with 170,100 cytological parameters from an extract library. The TCMs-CFA platform described a new evidence-led tool for the rapid discovery process by data mining strategies, which is valuable for novel lead compounds from TCMs. All computations are done through Python and are publicly available on GitHub.

Advancements in virtual screening techniques for study of enzyme inhibitor compounds / 中国中药杂志

Enzymes are closely associated with the onset and progression of numerous diseases, making enzymes a primary target in innovative drug development. However, the challenge remains in identifying compounds that exhibit potent inhibitory effects on the target enzymes. With the continuous expansion of the total number of natural products and increasing difficulty in isolating and enriching new compounds, traditional high-throughput screening methods are finding it increasingly challenging to meet the demands of new drug development. Virtual screening, characterized by its high efficiency and low cost, has gradually become an indispensable technology in drug development. It represents a prominent example of the integration of artificial intelligence with biopharmaceuticals and is an inevitable trend in the rapid development of innovative drug screening in the future. Therefore, this article primarily focused on systematically reviewing the recent applications of virtual screening technology in the development of enzyme inhibitors and explored the prospects and advantages of using this technology in developing new drugs, aiming to provide essential theoretical insights and references for the application of related technologies in the field of new drug development.

Association between gut microbiome and intracerebral hemorrhage based on genome-wide association study data / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVES@#Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has the highest mortality and disability rates among various subtypes of stroke. Previous studies have shown that the gut microbiome (GM) is closely related to the risk factors and pathological basis of ICH. This study aims to explore the causal effect of GM on ICH and the potential mechanisms.@*METHODS@#Genome wide association study (GWAS) data on GM and ICH were obtained from Microbiome Genome and International Stroke Genetics Consortium. Based on the GWAS data, we first performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to evaluate the causal association between GM and ICH. Then, a conditional false discovery rate (cFDR) method was conducted to identify the pleiotropic variants.@*RESULTS@#MR analysis showed that Pasteurellales, Pasteurellaceae, and Haemophilus were negatively correlated with the risk of ICH, whileVerrucomicrobiae, Verrucomicrobiales, Verrucomicrobiaceae, Akkermansia, Holdemanella, and LachnospiraceaeUCG010 were positively correlated with ICH. By applying the cFDR method, 3 pleiotropic loci (rs331083, rs4315115, and rs12553325) were found to be associated with both GM and ICH.@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a causal association and pleiotropic variants between GM and ICH.

Emerging trends in organ-on-a-chip systems for drug screening

New drug discovery is under growing pressure to satisfy the demand from a wide range of domains, especially from the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare services. Assessment of drug efficacy and safety prior to human clinical trials is a crucial part of drug development, which deserves greater emphasis to reduce the cost and time in drug discovery. Recent advances in microfabrication and tissue engineering have given rise to organ-on-a-chip, an in vitro model capable of recapitulating human organ functions in vivo and providing insight into disease pathophysiology, which offers a potential alternative to animal models for more efficient pre-clinical screening of drug candidates. In this review, we first give a snapshot of general considerations for organ-on-a-chip device design. Then, we comprehensively review the recent advances in organ-on-a-chip for drug screening. Finally, we summarize some key challenges of the progress in this field and discuss future prospects of organ-on-a-chip development. Overall, this review highlights the new avenue that organ-on-a-chip opens for drug development, therapeutic innovation, and precision medicine.

SARS-CoV-2 spike host cell surface exposure promoted by a COPI sorting inhibitor

Via an insufficient coat protein complex I (COPI) retrieval signal, the majority of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) is resident in host early secretory organelles and a tiny amount is leaked out in cell surface. Only surface-exposed S can be recognized by B cell receptor (BCR) or anti-S therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that is the trigger step for B cell activation after S mRNA vaccination or infected cell clearance by S mAbs. Now, a drug strategy to promote S host surface exposure is absent. Here, we first combined structural and biochemical analysis to characterize S COPI sorting signals. A potent S COPI sorting inhibitor was then invented, evidently capable of promoting S surface exposure and facilitating infected cell clearance by S antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Importantly, with the inhibitor as a probe, we revealed Omicron BA.1 S is less cell surface exposed than prototypes because of a constellation of S folding mutations, possibly corresponding to its ER chaperone association. Our findings not only suggest COPI is a druggable target against COVID-19, but also highlight SARS-CoV-2 evolution mechanism driven by S folding and trafficking mutations.