{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,2]],"date-time":"2026-10-02T05:09:01Z","timestamp":1790917741317,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)","issue":"691","content-domain":{"domain":["www.science.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sci. Transl. Med."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\n            Venezuelan and eastern equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV and EEEV, respectively) are mosquito-borne, neuroinvasive human pathogens for which no FDA-approved therapeutic exists. Besides the biothreat posed by these viruses when aerosolized, arthropod transmission presents serious health risks to humans, as demonstrated by the 2019 outbreak of EEE disease in the United States that resulted in 38 confirmed cases, 19 deaths, and neurological effects in survivors. Here, we describe the discovery of a 2-pyrrolidinoquinazolinone scaffold, efficiently synthesized in two to five steps, whose structural optimization resulted in profound antiviral activity. The lead quinazolinone, BDGR-49, potently reduced cellular VEEV and EEEV titers by &gt;7 log at 1 \u03bcM and exhibited suitable intravenous and oral pharmacokinetic profiles in BALB\/c mice to achieve excellent brain exposure. Outstanding in vivo efficacy was observed in several lethal, subcutaneous infection mouse models using an 8-day dosing regimen. Prophylactically administered BDGR-49 at 25 mg kg\n            <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n            per day fully protected against a 10\u00d7 LD\n            <jats:sub>50<\/jats:sub>\n            VEEV Trinidad donkey (TrD) challenge in BALB\/c mice. Similarly, we observed 70% protection when 10\u00d7 LD\n            <jats:sub>50<\/jats:sub>\n            EEEV FL93-939\u2013infected C57BL\/6 mice were treated prophylactically with BDGR-49 at 50 mg kg\n            <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n            per day. Last, we observed 100% therapeutic efficacy when mice, challenged with 10\u00d7 LD\n            <jats:sub>50<\/jats:sub>\n            VEEV TrD, were dosed at 48 hours after infection with BDGR-49 at 25 mg kg\n            <jats:sup>\u22121<\/jats:sup>\n            per day. Mouse brain viral titers at 96 hours after infection were reduced to values near the limit of detection. Collectively, these results underscore the substantial development potential of a well-tolerated, brain-penetrant lead compound that shows promise in preventing and treating encephalitic alphavirus disease.\n          <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/scitranslmed.abl9344","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,12]],"date-time":"2023-04-12T17:58:13Z","timestamp":1681322293000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Efficacy of a brain-penetrant antiviral in lethal Venezuelan and eastern equine encephalitis mouse models"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4263-3052","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Xufeng","family":"Cao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9701-5035","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Dong","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jyothi","family":"Parvathareddy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yong-kyu","family":"Chu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eun Jung","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9776-6592","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jhewelle N.","family":"Fitz-Henley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6580-7644","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Xiaoyu","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8034-7810","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Pradeep B.","family":"Lukka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4127-4115","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Keyur R.","family":"Parmar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zaid H.","family":"Temrikar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Priya","family":"Dhole","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4979-5065","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Robert Scott","family":"Adcock","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jon","family":"Gabbard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Predictive Medicine, Department of Microbiology Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shruti","family":"Bansal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jasper","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2171-055X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lillian","family":"Zalduondo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8175-5661","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ernestine","family":"Hayes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4344-9695","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jennifer","family":"Stabenow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3923-3648","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Bernd","family":"Meibohm","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elizabeth A.","family":"Fitzpatrick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."},{"name":"Departments of Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN 38163, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6734-0024","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kevin","family":"Bailey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Antiviral Research, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4852-0449","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rafael K.","family":"Campos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 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(Elsevier ed. 4 2012) pp.\u00a01097\u20131099.e1092.","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-1-4377-2702-9.00219-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_40_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/C5OB02378E"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_41_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/C9OB00073A"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_42_2","first-page":"794","article-title":"Survey of recent literature related to the biologically active 4(3H)-quinazolinones containing fused heterocycles","volume":"20","author":"Demeunynck M.","year":"2013","unstructured":"M.\u00a0Demeunynck, I.\u00a0Baussanne, Survey of recent literature related to the biologically active 4(3H)-quinazolinones containing fused heterocycles. Curr. Med. Chem. 20, 794\u2013814 (2013).","journal-title":"Curr. Med. 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