On Jul. 6, 2020, Anixa Biosciences announced that it and partner OntoChem had completed the initial in silico screening process of their drug discovery program and identified an additional specific compound, as well as multiple analogs, that could function as inhibitors of the main protease (Mpro) of the virus. As previously announced, Anixa and OntoChem identified four compounds that could disrupt the function of a viral enzyme called an endoribonuclease (also known as Non-Structural Protein-15, or NSP-15).

The potential NSP-15 inhibitors have been synthesized and are in the process of being tested in biological assays, the results of which should be available in a few weeks or sooner.  The candidate inhibitors of M^pro are being synthesized, a process that is anticipated to take three to four weeks, and then they will be tested in biological assays. 

Based on initial identification of the M^pro scaffold compound, Anixa and OntoChem have created a new in silico library of analog compounds that will be evaluated through additional in silico screening to choose which additional compounds may be synthesized and evaluated in biological assays.