Advancing Global Preparedness for Future Pandemics
A team of researchers from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, has been awarded a US$2 million (S$2.8 million) grant to develop antiviral drugs aimed at combating pandemics.
The grant, part of a competitive research programme in the United States, focuses on creating antiviral drugs to counter pandemic-causing viruses like Sars-CoV-2 (responsible for COVID-19), dengue, and Zika. This initiative falls under the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern, based at the University of Minnesota, and is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
One of nine new centres established by NIAID, the Midwest AViDD Centre is dedicated to innovative, multidisciplinary research to identify candidate antiviral drugs for outpatient use and for targeting high-risk viral families with pandemic potential.
The NTU-led team is headed by Associate Professor Luo Dahai, an expert in structural virology and Provost’s Chair in Medicine at LKCMedicine. Collaborating with him is Dr Liew Chong Wai from NTU’s Institute of Structural Biology. Together, they will utilise NTU’s cutting-edge molecular and structural biology facilities to discover novel antiviral drug targets.
NTU’s collaboration extends to Professor Reuben Harris, a renowned investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor at the University of Texas Health San Antonio. This joint effort aims to develop small molecule drug candidates and advance the most promising ones to clinical trials.
Professor Joseph Sung, Dean of LKCMedicine and NTU’s Senior Vice President for Health and Life Sciences, emphasised the university’s significant contributions to combating viral pathogens, including its leadership in preclinical antiviral drug discovery. “This grant further solidifies NTU’s role in global efforts against pandemics,” he stated.
Vice Dean for Research, Professor Lim Kah Leong, highlighted the urgency of pandemic preparedness. “COVID-19 has shown us the critical importance of being ready for future global health threats. Our work aims to ensure we are better equipped for what lies ahead,” he added.
This funding marks another milestone in NTU’s mission to contribute to global health resilience and antiviral innovation.
