Taking aim at a moving target inhibitors of influenza virus .1. Virus adsorption, entry and uncoating

Annual epidemics of influenza virus infection are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality, and pandemics are much more devastating. Considerable knowledge of viral infectivity and replication has been acquired, but many details have yet to be elucidated and the virus remains a particularly challenging target for drug design and development. In this two part review, the current status of influenza research is summarized in the context of inhibitor design and discovery, and recent advances in the search for clinically effective drug therapy are detailed. The first part addresses virus adsorption, entry and uncoating; the second part, to be published in the September issue of Drug Discovery Today, discusses aspects of virus replication, packaging and release.