New horizons for antiviral drug discovery from virus-host protein interaction networks

Viruses are recurrent socio economical and health problems each year worldwide. Current drugs are mainly directed against viral components and select resistant strains that urge the need to develop new antiviral therapeutics. High-throughput screening technologies now allow to draw comprehensive genome-wide maps of physical and genetic virus-host interactions. This has been done recently for several viruses such as HIV, HCV, DENV and FLUAV and revealed a wealth of potential antiviral cellular targets. Systems-level analysis of virus-host protein networks and subnetworks begins to uncover several specific points of intervention for a human centered drug development. We present here this new paradigm in antiviral drug discovery together with the first promising antiviral molecules.

► Human proteins interacting with viruses are a vast reservoir of new antiviral targets. ► Orthogonal '-omics' approaches provide a rational to select relevant cellular targets. ► Topological nature of cellular targets: central and bridging proteins. ► Drug repositioning strategies are on tracks to faster antiviral drug discovery.