Progress for Antiviral Development in Latin America

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the main contributions for antiviral development from scientists in Latin America in the last decade. Antiviral research in this region has been mainly focused on the search for alternative therapeutic agents for herpes simplex virus infections and the development of antiviral strategies to handle neglected viral diseases that represent a serious threat for local public health. The antiviral potential of natural extracts and compounds isolated from a vast diversity of plants, algae, and other natural sources has also been explored. Similarly, the study of the efficacy and mode of action of a variety of synthetic compounds reveals the ongoing progress for antiviral research in the region. In addition, approaches based on host factors as antiviral targets and the use of bioinformatics methods that allow structure-based design of viral inhibitors have strongly emerged during the last years as powerful tools used by Latin-American researchers for the development of novel antiviral strategies.