Human life has been at the edge of catastrophe for millennia due diseases which emerge and reemerge at random. The recent outbreak of the Zika virus (ZIKV) is one such menace that shook the global public health community abruptly. Modern technologies, including computational tools as well as experimental approaches, need to be harnessed fast and effectively in a coordinated manner in order to properly address such challenges. In this paper, based on our earlier research, we have proposed a four-pronged approach to tackle the emerging pathogens like ZIKV: (a) Epidemiological modelling of spread mechanisms of ZIKV; (b) assessment of the public health risk of newly emerging strains of the pathogens by comparing them with existing strains/pathogens using fast computational sequence comparison methods; (c) implementation of vaccine design methods in order to produce a set of probable peptide vaccine candidates for quick synthesis/production and testing in the laboratory; and (d) designing of novel therapeutic molecules and their laboratory testing as well as validation of new drugs or repurposing of drugs for use against ZIKV. For each of these stages, we provide an extensive review of the technical challenges and current state-of-the-art. Further, we outline the future areas of research and discuss how they can work together to proactively combat ZIKV or future emerging pathogens.

Background: In view of many current mosquito-borne diseases there is a need for the design of novel repellents. Objective: The objective of this article is to review the research of results carried out by the authors in the computer-assisted design of novel mosquito repellents. Method. Two methods in the computational design of repellents have been discussed: a) Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) studies from a set of repellents structurally related to DEET using computed mathematical descriptors, and b) Pharmacophore based modeling for design and discovery of novel repellent compounds including virtual screening of compound databases and synthesis of novel analogues. Results. Effective QSARs could be developed using mathematical structural descriptors. The pharmacophore based method is an effective tool for the discovery of new repellent molecules. Conclusion. Results reviewed in this article show that both QSAR and pharmacophore based methods can be used in the design of novel repellents.