viruses

Viruses are much simpler organisms than bacteria, and they are made from protein substances and nucleic acid. Despite the fact that the exact mechanism of infection is extremely specific to each type of virus, the general scheme of infection can be represented in the following manner: A virus is absorbed at the surface of a host cell and then permeates through the membrane, where it releases nucleic acid from its protein protection. Then the viral nucleic acid begins to replicate, and transcription of the viral genome takes place either in the cytoplasm, or in the nucleus of the host cell. As a result of these events, a large amount of viral nucleic acid and protein are made to make new generations of virions. Therefore, one mechanism of action of antiviral drugs is to interfere with the ability of a virus to get into a target cell. A second mechanism of action is to target the processes that synthesize virus components after a virus invades a cell, such as nucleotide or nucleoside analogs.

MCE designs a unique collection of 1,273 anti-virus compounds that target several viruses, including SARS-CoV, HBV, HCV, HIV, HSV and Influenza Virus. It’s an effective tool for anti-virus drug discovery.

Orthopoxvirus is a genus of viruses in the family Poxviridae and subfamily Chordopoxvirinae. The orthopoxvirus genus consists of 12 viruses including variola virus, vaccinia virus (VV), cowpox viruses (CV), monkeypox virus, and camelpox virus. Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide in 1980, but some other orthopoxvirus, such as monkeypox virus, are still threats to human health.

There are not many drugs available for orthopoxvirus treatment. The only product currently available for treatment of complications of Orthopoxvirus infection is vaccinia immunoglobulin (VIG). In 2021, brincidofovir was approved by FDA for the treatment of smallpox and tecovirimat was approved by EMA for the treatment of monkeypox in 2022. A few active compounds including interferon and interferon inducers, and a variety of nucleosides or nucleotides have been reported to have activity against orthopoxvirus.

MCE carefully prepared a unique collection of 36 compounds reported with the anti- orthopoxvirus activity which can be used for drug screening and other research about orthopoxvirus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic enveloped positive- strand RNA virus (family Flaviviridae) that infects the parenchymal cells of the liver. HCV infection is a significant public health burden. Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection. A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. To date, there is no vaccine against HCV, and combination pegylated alpha interferon (pIFN-) and ribavirin, the main standard-of-care treatment for HCV, is effective in only a subset of patients and is associated with a wide spectrum of toxic side effects and complications. More recently, new therapeutic approaches that target essential components of the HCV life cycle have been developed, including direct-acting antiviral (DAA) that specifically block a viral enzyme or functional protein and host-targeted agents (HTA) that block interactions between host proteins and viral components that are essential to the viral life cycle. However, the genetic diversity of HCV viruses and the stage of liver disease (i.e., cirrhosis) are revealing themselves as obstacles for effective, pan-genotypic treatments. There still exists a need for the discovery and development of new HCV inhibitors. In particular, since the future of HCV therapy will likely consist of a cocktail approach using multiple inhibitors that target different steps of infection, new antivirals targeting all steps of the viral infection cycle.

MCE offers a unique collection of 283 compounds with identified and potential anti-HCV activity. MCE Anti- Hepatitis C Virus Compound Library is a useful tool for discovery new anti-HCV drugs and other anti-infection research.

An infection occurs when another organism enters a person’s body and causes disease. The organisms that cause infections are very diverse and can include things like viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The immune system is an effective barrier against infectious agents.

MCE provides a unique collection of 2,900 anti-infective compounds with anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasite activities that can be used for drug screening and other research in anti-microbial area.

Increasing research have shown that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) possess antiviral activities against various viral strains, such as herpes simplex virus, influenza virus, hepatitis B and C viruses, and SARS-CoV. To date, dozens of Chinese herbs and hundreds of natural TCM ingredients have been reported to exhibit good antiviral activities. Active components from TCM are one of the important sources for antiviral drugs discovery.

MCE designs a unique collection of 171 active compounds of antiviral Chinese Herbal Medicines. MCE Antiviral Traditional Chinese Medicine Active Compound Library is a useful tool for discovery antiviral drugs from TCM.

A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. Proteases play important roles in regulating multiple biological processes in all living organisms, such as regulating the fate, localization, and activity of many proteins, modulating protein-protein interactions, creating new bioactive molecules, contributing to the processing of cellular information, and generating, transducing, and amplifying molecular signals.

Proteases are important targets in drug discovery. Some protease inhibitors are often used as anti-virus drugs and anti-cancer drugs. MCE offers a unique collection of 605 protease inhibitors. MCE Protease Inhibitor Library is critical for drug discovery and development.

Antibiotics are types of antimicrobial products used for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections. Antibiotics can kill or inhibit bacterial growth. Although the target of an antibiotic is bacteria, some antibiotics also attack fungi and protozoans. However, antibiotics rarely have an effect on viruses. The major mechanism underlying antibiotics is the inhibition or regulation of enzymes involved in cell wall biosynthesis, nucleic acid metabolism and repair, protein synthesis, or disruption of membrane structure. Many of these cellular functions targeted by antibiotics are most active in multiplying cells. Since there is often overlap in these functions between prokaryotic bacterial cells and eukaryotic mammalian cells, it is not surprising that some antibiotics have also been found to be useful as anticancer agents.

MCE supplies a unique collection of 638 antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, macrolides, etc. MCE Antibiotics Library is a useful tool for anti-bacterial or anti-cancer drugs discovery.

The immune system is a host defense system comprising many biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease. To function properly, an immune system must detect a wide variety of agents, known as pathogens, from viruses to parasitic worms, and distinguish them from the organism's own healthy tissue. Inflammation is also the body's attempt at self-protection to remove harmful stimuli and begin the healing process. It’s part of the body's immune response. The immune system recognizes damaged cells, irritants, and pathogens, and inflammation begins the healing process. Inflammatory abnormalities are a large group of disorders that underlie a vast variety of human diseases. The immune system is often involved with inflammatory disorders, demonstrated in both allergic reactions and some myopathies, with many immune system disorders resulting in abnormal inflammation.

MCE designs a unique collection of 5,054 compounds that are useful tool for Immunology/Inflammation research or autoimmune inflammatory diseases drug discovery.

MCE PEI Transfection Reagent is designed based on 25 kDa PEI. It has high-efficiency, low-toxicity, strong-stability, and is suitable for many cell types, such as HEK-293、HEK-293T、CHO-K1、COS-1、COS-7、NIH/3T3、Sf9、HepG2 and HeLa et, even some hard-to-transfect cells. It can also be applied to large-scale recombinant protein expression and virus production.