Drug Discovery Approaches Targeting Dengue NS2B/NS3 Protease

Dengue has become a global threat to human beings, killing more than 15,000 lives yearly. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, 400 million new cases of dengue virus arise worldwide among which 1–2% develop fatal symptoms. The disease is characterized by a high fever, rashes, pain in joints, weakness, etc. Dengvaxia (CYT-TDV), the only available vaccine on the market, has its own limitations and expense. Myriad clinical investigations on dengue therapeutics are being conducted by both industrial and academic researchers. However, a potential drug candidate has yet to be discovered. In this chapter, an overview of the dengue viral (DENV) life cycle, the origin of the disease and drug development approaches are presented with a specific focus on the recent research aimed at the antiviral discovery against viral NS2B/NS3 serine protease.