近日，西湖大学生命科学学院院长、西湖实验室主任于洪涛领衔的攻关团队取得重大突破。经过两年多的努力，他们成功研发出一种小分子非共价抑制剂WPV01（艾普司韦），抑制新冠病毒的药效显著且安全性高。
目前，WPV01已完成药代、药动、药效、药剂、安全性评估等临床前研究，9月6日获国家药审中心批准正式进入临床。
“与辉瑞的奈玛特韦相比，虽然都是靶向抑制3CLpro，但辉瑞的药物为共价结合，而WPV01是非共价结合，结合机制不同，使全新骨架的WPV01非常具有竞争性”，于洪涛说，“从细胞到动物体内测试，WPV01在安全性及有效性上均表现出明显优势。”
临床前研究还显示，WPV01对不同新冠病毒（SARS-CoV-2）变异株、以及严重急性呼吸道综合征冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）和中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）等在内的其它冠状病毒均具有抑制作用。
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论文摘要：
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is the causal agent of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is an urgent need for potent, specific antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2. The 3C-like protease (3CLpro) is an essential enzyme for the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses, and thus is a target for coronavirus drug discovery. Nearly all inhibitors of coronavirus 3CLpro reported so far are covalent inhibitors. Here, we report the development of specific, non-covalent inhibitors of 3CLpro. The most potent one, WU-04, effectively blocks SARS-CoV-2 replications in human cells with EC50 values in the 10-nM range. WU-04 also inhibits the 3CLpro of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV with high potency, indicating that it is a pan-inhibitor of coronavirus 3CLpro. WU-04 showed anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity similar to that of PF-07321332 (Nirmatrelvir) in K18-hACE2 mice when the same dose was administered orally. Thus, WU-04 is a promising drug candidate for coronavirus treatment.