TY - JOUR
T1 - Decoding information on COVID–19
T2 - Ontological approach towards design possible therapeutics
AU - Jayachandran, Swaminathan K.
AU - Anusuyadevi, Muthuswamy
AU - Essa, Musthafa Mohamed
AU - Qoronfleh, M. Walid
N1 - Funding Information:
The Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. The language and technical editing done by The Editing Refinery, MD, USA is acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s)
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - To date, no effective preventive or curative medical interventions exist against COVID-19, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS CoV-2). The available interventions are only supportive and palliative in nature. Popular among the emerging explanations for the mortality from COVID-19 is “cytokine storm”, attributed to the body's aggressive immune response to this novel pathogen. In less than a year the disease has spread to almost all countries, though the mortality rates have varied significantly from country to country based on factors such as the demographical mix of the population, prevalence of comorbidities, as well as prior exposure to viruses from the corona family. This review examines the current literature on mortality rates across the globe, explores the possible reasons, thereby decoding variations. COVID-19 researchers have noted unique characteristics in the structural and host-pathogen interaction and identified several possible target proteins and sites that could exhibit control over the entry of SARS CoV-2 into the host, which this paper reviews in detail. Identification of new targets, both in the virus and the host, may accelerate the search for effective vaccines and curative drugs against COVID-19. Further, the ontological approach of this review is likely to provide insights for researchers to anticipate and be ready for future mutant viruses that may emerge in future.
AB - To date, no effective preventive or curative medical interventions exist against COVID-19, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS CoV-2). The available interventions are only supportive and palliative in nature. Popular among the emerging explanations for the mortality from COVID-19 is “cytokine storm”, attributed to the body's aggressive immune response to this novel pathogen. In less than a year the disease has spread to almost all countries, though the mortality rates have varied significantly from country to country based on factors such as the demographical mix of the population, prevalence of comorbidities, as well as prior exposure to viruses from the corona family. This review examines the current literature on mortality rates across the globe, explores the possible reasons, thereby decoding variations. COVID-19 researchers have noted unique characteristics in the structural and host-pathogen interaction and identified several possible target proteins and sites that could exhibit control over the entry of SARS CoV-2 into the host, which this paper reviews in detail. Identification of new targets, both in the virus and the host, may accelerate the search for effective vaccines and curative drugs against COVID-19. Further, the ontological approach of this review is likely to provide insights for researchers to anticipate and be ready for future mutant viruses that may emerge in future.
KW - Antiviral
KW - Covid-19
KW - Decoding
KW - Drug repurposing
KW - Mortality rate
KW - Ontology
KW - Therapy
KW - Vaccine
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U2 - 10.1016/j.imu.2020.100486
DO - 10.1016/j.imu.2020.100486
M3 - Review article
C2 - 33263073
AN - SCOPUS:85098091132
SN - 2352-9148
VL - 22
JO - Informatics in Medicine Unlocked
JF - Informatics in Medicine Unlocked
M1 - 100486
ER -