Irina Stefanelli

Dr. Irina Stefanelli

Department of Pharmacy, University of Napoli “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Napoli, Italy

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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Journal Article
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RCRolando Cannalire
Rolando Cannalire
ISIrina Stefanelli
Irina Stefanelli
Carmen CerchiaCarmen Cerchia
Carmen Cerchia
Andrea BeccariAndrea Beccari
Andrea Beccari
SPSveva Pelliccia
Sveva Pelliccia
VSVincenzo Summa
Vincenzo Summa
The pandemic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 infection is forcing the scientific community to unprecedented efforts to explore all possible approaches against COVID-19. In this context, targeting virus entry is a promising antiviral strategy for controlling viral infections. The main strategies pursued to inhibit the viral entry are considering both the virus and the host factors involved in the process. Primarily, direct-acting antivirals rely on inhibition of the interaction between ACE2 and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Spike (S) protein or targeting the more conserved heptad repeats (HRs), involved in the membrane fusion process. The inhibition of host TMPRSS2 and cathepsins B/L may represent a complementary strategy to be investigated. In this review, we discuss the development entry inhibitors targeting the S protein, as well as the most promising host targeting strategies involving TMPRSS2 and CatB/L, which have been exploited so far against CoVs and other related viruses.