Lecture Notes: Cheaper Antiviral Drug Production by Adam Kovalk

Background and Problem

• Context: Viruses pose a significant health threat highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Challenge: Vaccinations are effective for prevention, but curing viral infections, once contracted, remains difficult.
• Current Drug: Galidesivir is an antiviral drug undergoing trials, potentially treating RNA virus-related diseases like Ebola and Zika.
• Issue: Existing production methods are costly ($75/gram), raising barriers to widespread use.

Adam Kovalk's Innovation

• Objective: Develop a cost-effective method to produce galidesivir.
• Method: Utilized corn waste to create furfuryl alcohol, which serves as a starting point to synthesize galidesivir in 10 steps, reducing production cost to $12.50/gram.
• Outcome: Won the $100,000 George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award at the 2025 Regeneron ISEF.

Scientific Challenges and Solutions

• Stereoisomers: Traditional synthesis results in unwanted stereoisomers, increasing costs and reducing efficiency.
• Focus: Adam aimed to produce cis-OH galidesivir, more effective than the trans version.
• Approach: By starting with furfuryl alcohol, Adam reduced the number of synthesis steps and unwanted stereoisomers, enhancing product purity and process efficiency.

Inspiration and Technique

• Inspiration: Previous work in perfume chemistry informed Adam's use of corn waste for synthesis.
• Comparison: Described synthesis process as building with Lego blocks, methodically assembling drug molecules.

Broader Implications and Future Potential

• Broader Impact: Potential to develop other antiviral drugs at lower costs using similar methods.
• Mechanism: Drugs inhibit viruses by blocking RNA polymerase, crucial for viral replication.
• New Horizons: Adam's computer models predict new molecules, like ADK-98, could surpass galidesivir's efficacy.

Regeneron ISEF 2025

• Event: Annual competition for high school students showcasing independent research.
• Participation: 1,657 students from 62 nations competed, sharing $9 million in prizes.

Key Terms

• Antiviral: Substances used to treat viral infections.
• Stereoisomers: Molecules with the same formula but different spatial arrangements.
• Enzyme: Proteins accelerating chemical reactions, like RNA polymerase in viral replication.

Additional Information

• Submit Science Questions: Audience encouraged to submit inquiries for future coverage.

Power Words

• Definitions of key terms like 'antiviral', 'stereoisomer', and 'enzyme' are provided for better understanding of scientific concepts.