EL PASO, Texas –Drug discovery researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso and the University of New Mexico have leveraged their expertise to develop a rapid online tool to accelerate the discovery of drug therapies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
REDIAL-2020 is an open-source online suite of computational models that will help scientists rapidly screen small molecules for their potential COVID-19-fighting properties. The platform is available as a web application through DrugCentral.org/Redial.
“REDIAL-2020 is a machine learning platform we developed to estimate the activities of drugs for anit-SARS-COV-2 activities,” said Suman Sirimulla, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at UTEP’s School of Pharmacy. “The platform allows scientists from around the world to identify small molecules that can inhibit SARS-CoV-2, in order to develop new drugs or repurpose existing drugs to treat COVID-19.”