CHINESE PHYSICS LETTERS

Rapid Structure-Based Screening Informs Potential Agents for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak
Yang ZW, Zhao YZ, Zang YJ, Wang H, Zhu X, Meng LJ, Yuan XH, Zhang L and Zhang SL
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel coronavirus, has spread rapidly across China. Consequently, there is an urgent need to sort and develop novel agents for the prevention and treatment of viral infections. A rapid structure-based virtual screening is used for the evaluation of current commercial drugs, with structures of human angiotensin converting enzyme II (ACE2), and viral main protease, spike, envelope, membrane and nucleocapsid proteins. Our results reveal that the reported drugs Arbidol, Chloroquine and Remdesivir may hinder the entry and release of virions through the bindings with ACE2, spike and envelope proteins. Due to the similar binding patterns, NHC (β-d-N4-hydroxycytidine) and Triazavirin are also in prospects for clinical use. Main protease (3CLpro) is likely to be a feasible target of drug design. The screening results to target 3CL-pro reveal that Mitoguazone, Metformin, Biguanide Hydrochloride, Gallic acid, Caffeic acid, Sulfaguanidine and Acetylcysteine seem be possible inhibitors and have potential application in the clinical therapy of COVID-19.
A Triplet Resonance in Superconducting FeSeTe
Liu J, Savici AT, Granroth GE, Habicht K, Qiu Y, Hu J, Mao ZQ and Bao W
From heavy fermion compounds and cuprates to iron pnictides and chalcogenides, a spin resonance at is a staple of nearly magnetic superconductors. Possible explanations include a two-particle bound state or loss of magnon damping in the superconducting state. While both scenarios suggest a central role for magnetic fluctuations, distinguishing them is important to identify the right theoretical framework to understand these types of unconventional superconductors. Using an inelastic neutron scattering technique, we show that the spin resonance in the optimally doped FeSeTe superconductor splits into three peaks in a high magnetic field, a signature of a two-particle S=1 triplet bound state.