Advancing Equity in STEM: The Impact Assessment Design Has on Who Succeeds in Undergraduate Introductory Chemistry.

What we as scientists and educators assess has a tremendous impact on whom we authorize to participate in science careers. Unfortunately, in critical gateway chemistry courses, assessments commonly emphasize and reward recall of disaggregated facts or performance of (often mathematical) skills. Such an emphasis marginalizes students based on their access to pre-college math preparation and misrepresents the intellectual work of chemistry.

Evidence for distinct mechanisms of small molecule inhibitors of filovirus entry.

Many small molecules have been identified as entry inhibitors of filoviruses. However, a lack of understanding of the mechanism of action for these molecules limits further their development as anti-filoviral agents. Here we provide evidence that toremifene and other small molecule entry inhibitors have at least three distinctive mechanisms of action and lay the groundwork for future development of anti-filoviral agents.

Screening and Reverse-Engineering of Estrogen Receptor Ligands as Potent Pan-Filovirus Inhibitors.

Filoviridae, including Ebola (EBOV) and Marburg (MARV) viruses, are emerging pathogens that pose a serious threat to public health. No agents have been approved to treat filovirus infections, representing a major unmet medical need. The selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) toremifene was previously identified from a screen of FDA-approved drugs as a potent EBOV viral entry inhibitor, via binding to EBOV glycoprotein (GP).

Discovery and Structural Optimization of 4-(Aminomethyl)benzamides as Potent Entry Inhibitors of Ebola and Marburg Virus Infections.

The recent Ebola epidemics in West Africa underscore the great need for effective and practical therapies for future Ebola virus outbreaks. We have discovered a new series of remarkably potent small molecule inhibitors of Ebola virus entry. These 4-(aminomethyl)benzamide-based inhibitors are also effective against Marburg virus.

Repurposing potential of 1st generation H-specific antihistamines as anti-filovirus therapeutics.

Ebola and Marburg are filoviruses and biosafety level 4 pathogens responsible for causing severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans with mortality rates up to 90%. The most recent outbreak in West Africa resulted in approximately 11,310 deaths in 28,616 reported cases. Currently there are no FDA-approved vaccines or therapeutics to treat infections of these deadly viruses.

Identification of Ellagic Acid from Plant Rhodiola rosea L. as an Anti-Ebola Virus Entry Inhibitor.

The recent 2014-2016 West African Ebola virus epidemic underscores the need for the development of novel anti-Ebola therapeutics, due to the high mortality rates of Ebola virus infections and the lack of FDA-approved vaccine or therapy that is available for the prevention and treatment. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) represent a huge reservoir of bioactive chemicals and many TCMs have been shown to have antiviral activities. 373 extracts from 128 TCMs were evaluated using a high throughput assay to screen for inhibitors of Ebola virus cell entry.

Development of Potential Small Molecule Therapeutics for Treatment of Ebola Virus Disease.

Ebola virus has caused 26 outbreaks in 10 different countries since its identification in 1976, making it one of the deadliest emerging viral pathogens. The most recent outbreak in West Africa from 2014-16 was the deadliest yet and culminated in 11,310 deaths out of 28,616 confirmed cases. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapeutics or vaccines to treat Ebola virus infections.

Influenza Virus: Small Molecule Therapeutics and Mechanisms of Antiviral Resistance.

Background: Influenza viruses cause severe upper respiratory illness in children and the elderly during seasonal epidemics. Influenza viruses from zoonotic reservoirs can also cause pandemics with significant loss of life in all age groups. Although vaccination is one of the most effective methods to protect against seasonal epidemics, seasonal vaccines vary in efficacy, can be ineffective in the elderly population, and do not provide protection against novel strains.

Identification of a coumarin-based antihistamine-like small molecule as an anti-filoviral entry inhibitor.

Filoviruses, consisting of Ebola virus, Marburg virus and Cuevavirus, cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans with high mortality rates up to 90%. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or therapy available for the prevention and treatment of filovirus infection in humans. The recent 2013-2015 West African Ebola epidemic underscores the urgency to develop antiviral therapeutics against these infectious diseases.