Accelerate COVID‑19 Drug Repurposing with BIOVIA Living Map

New Directions in the Fight Against COVID‑19

Drug repurposing and systems biology are powerful allies in identifying safe, effective therapies for SARS‑CoV‑2. These approaches also provide a roadmap for tackling future coronavirus threats.

Repurposing Safe Drugs in a Global Pandemic

Drug repurposing evaluates clinically tested, approved medicines for new therapeutic uses. Researchers now employ structure‑based and virtual screening to pinpoint existing drugs with an in‑silico affinity for viral proteases, potentially curbing virus replication. Key studies include Pharmacophore‑Guided Virtual Screening for Drug Repurposing and Inhibiting SARS‑CoV‑2 Main Protease. Yet no single candidate has emerged as a clear winner, underscoring the need for complementary strategies.

Systems biology focuses on computational modeling of complex biological interactions, leveraging the wealth of data generated by global COVID‑19 research initiatives.

Navigating Systems Biology with a Living Map

BIOVIA Living Map, part of Dassault Systèmes 3D EXPERIENCE® platform, offers advanced modeling and simulation tools for systems biology. It also automates access to academic data repositories and curated knowledge.

Using Living Map, biologists can construct and simulate Boolean biological networks. The platform’s scientifically validated Boolean signaling pathways enable the creation of qualitative disease maps, in‑silico experiments, and hypothesis testing.

Critical to its credibility, scientists can annotate Living Map models with evidence‑linking references for entities, interactions, and modeling rationale. These annotations continually elevate the confidence level of the platform’s insights.

Modeling SARS‑CoV‑2 Effects on Innate Immunity

Our team used Living Map to build a dynamic model of generic coronavirus cell signaling pathways, later refined with the latest SARS‑CoV‑2 data. Simulations explored drug repurposing candidates and suggested novel therapeutic interventions. While no existing drug emerged to fully reverse the viral impact, the model highlighted a promising virus‑host protein interaction for further investigation.

Simulating a Non‑Coronavirus Infection vs. SARS‑CoV‑2

This video demonstrates the comparative simulations: a classic non‑coronavirus infection is effectively suppressed by the host innate immune response, whereas SARS‑CoV‑2 evades this defense, enabling replication and propagation. Consistent with clinical observations, SARS‑CoV‑2 drives excessive pro‑inflammatory cytokine production, triggering a cytokine storm that damages host tissues.

Advancing Innovative Target Discovery

Guided by BIOVIA Living Map, collaborators can dissect disease mechanisms, drug modes of action, and resistance pathways directly on the 3D EXPERIENCE® platform. Building and simulating models accelerates R&D hypotheses, shortens discovery timelines by weeks, and reduces wet‑lab validation costs, boosting the likelihood of success.

Repurpose Safe Drugs with BIOVIA Living Map!