The unprecedented pandemic of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is threatening global health. The virus emerged in late 2019 and can cause a severe disease associated with significant mortality. Several vaccine development and drug discovery campaigns are underway. The SARS-CoV-2 main protease is considered a promising drug target, as it is dissimilar to human proteases. Sequence and structure of the main protease are closely related to those from other betacoronaviruses, facilitating drug discovery attempts based on previous lead compounds. Covalently binding peptidomimetics and small molecules are investigated. Various compounds show antiviral activity in infected human cells.

严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 史无前例的大流行正在威胁全球健康。该病毒于 2019 年底出现，可导致与高死亡率相关的严重疾病。一些疫苗开发和药物发现活动正在进行中。SARS-CoV-2 主要蛋白酶被认为是一个有前途的药物靶点，因为它与人类蛋白酶不同。主要蛋白酶的序列和结构与其他 β 冠状病毒的序列和结构密切相关，促进了基于先前先导化合物的药物发现尝试。研究了共价结合拟肽和小分子。多种化合物在受感染的人类细胞中显示出抗病毒活性。