Drug discovery and pharmacology of antivirals targeting drug-resistant influenza viruses

Dr. Wang received his bachelor degree in chemistry from Wuhan University, China, in 2003. After a one year industry experience in a biotechnology company, he joined Dr. Shaoqin Yao's group at the National University of Singapore in 2004 as a graduate student. His thesis project involves designing and developing chemical probes and inhibitors for matrix metalloproteases. After receiving his master degree in 2006, he moved to the United States and started his PhD study in Dr. William F. DeGrado's laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. His PhD thesis focuses on rational design of inhibitors targeting drug-resistant influenza A virus M2 proton channels. He is also a major contributor in developing chemical probes to solve the scientific controversy of the drug binding site(s) of M2. After receiving his PhD in chemistry in 2010, he continued as a postdoctoral researcher in the DeGrado lab, first at the University of Pennsylvania and later at the University of California, San Francisco. He started his independent career as an assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona in 2014. His laboratory mainly focuses on medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of antivirals. Research in the Wang Laboratory is directed towards developing antivirals targeting drug-resistant viruses and emerging viruses, including influenza A and B viruses, enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), EV-A71, coxsackievirus, and polio virus. They are developing inhibitors against multiple viral proteins and use them as chemical probes for target validation. For influenza virus, they have developed inhibitors targeting the M2 proton channel, the viral polymerase PA-PB1 protein-protein interactions, and the hemagglutinin fusion protein. For enteroviruses, they have designed inhibitors targeting the viral capsid VP1 protein, the viral 2A protease, the viral 2C protein, and the viral polymerase. In addition, they are also interested in developing host-targeting antivirals as a means to address drug resistance.