Origins of this Project

Dr. Daren Fearon and Dr. Jasmin Aschenbrenner at the Diamond Light Source obtained crystals of the CHIKV nsp3-macrodomain and soaked 1339 fragments to generate the initial dataset. They determined 20 hits in active site, and 20 outside the active site. The protein target is a priority project for the READDI-AViDD antiviral discovery consortium, and the hit triage/validation is slated to start in January 2024.

The aim of the project is to convert the fragments identified into a chemical probe for this protein, helping to kick-start drug discovery efforts.