Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration
Abstract Viruses and host cells are intricately connected through a shared “chemical language” that may trace back to the prebiotic chemistry of early Earth. In this study, we present an innovative platform for antiviral exploration inspired by this primordial chemical framework. By “doping” the for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14001-3 |
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| _version_ | 1849763790607876096 |
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| author | Maria Grazia Martina Chiara Vagaggini Elena Dreassi Marta De Angelis Lucia Nencioni Filippo Dragoni Federica Giammarino Adele Boccuto Maurizio Zazzi Ilaria Vicenti Marco Radi |
| author_facet | Maria Grazia Martina Chiara Vagaggini Elena Dreassi Marta De Angelis Lucia Nencioni Filippo Dragoni Federica Giammarino Adele Boccuto Maurizio Zazzi Ilaria Vicenti Marco Radi |
| author_sort | Maria Grazia Martina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Viruses and host cells are intricately connected through a shared “chemical language” that may trace back to the prebiotic chemistry of early Earth. In this study, we present an innovative platform for antiviral exploration inspired by this primordial chemical framework. By “doping” the formamide-based prebiotic chemistry model with orotic acid derivatives, we generated complex, non-natural chemical mixtures capable of disrupting the replication of multiple viruses with minimal or no toxicity for eukaryotic cells. This strategy underscores the potential of an evolution-inspired approach in antiviral discovery, offering a novel avenue for identifying new agents with unconventional mechanisms that might elude traditional discovery methods. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1d6ddabdb86d47588d903dad5b5b41fa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-1d6ddabdb86d47588d903dad5b5b41fa2025-08-20T03:05:18ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-14001-3Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral explorationMaria Grazia Martina0Chiara Vagaggini1Elena Dreassi2Marta De Angelis3Lucia Nencioni4Filippo Dragoni5Federica Giammarino6Adele Boccuto7Maurizio Zazzi8Ilaria Vicenti9Marco Radi10Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di ParmaDepartment of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy (DBCF), University of SienaDepartment of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy (DBCF), University of SienaDepartment of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of RomeDepartment of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Laboratory Affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of RomeDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, University of SienaDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, University of SienaDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, University of SienaDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, University of SienaDepartment of Medical Biotechnologies, University of SienaDipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti e del Farmaco, Università degli Studi di ParmaAbstract Viruses and host cells are intricately connected through a shared “chemical language” that may trace back to the prebiotic chemistry of early Earth. In this study, we present an innovative platform for antiviral exploration inspired by this primordial chemical framework. By “doping” the formamide-based prebiotic chemistry model with orotic acid derivatives, we generated complex, non-natural chemical mixtures capable of disrupting the replication of multiple viruses with minimal or no toxicity for eukaryotic cells. This strategy underscores the potential of an evolution-inspired approach in antiviral discovery, offering a novel avenue for identifying new agents with unconventional mechanisms that might elude traditional discovery methods.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14001-3Prebiotic chemistryFormamide modelAntiviral activityComplexityCo-evolution |
| spellingShingle | Maria Grazia Martina Chiara Vagaggini Elena Dreassi Marta De Angelis Lucia Nencioni Filippo Dragoni Federica Giammarino Adele Boccuto Maurizio Zazzi Ilaria Vicenti Marco Radi Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration Scientific Reports Prebiotic chemistry Formamide model Antiviral activity Complexity Co-evolution |
| title | Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| title_full | Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| title_fullStr | Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| title_short | Harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry: a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| title_sort | harnessing prebiotic formamide chemistry a novel platform for antiviral exploration |
| topic | Prebiotic chemistry Formamide model Antiviral activity Complexity Co-evolution |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14001-3 |
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