Adjunct Professor at Ton Duc Thang University Publishes Consecutive Research Papers in Nature and Cell
Professor Peng Zhan, an Adjunct Professor at Ton Duc Thang University (TDTU), and his research team have recently published two groundbreaking studies in the world's leading scientific journals, Nature and Cell, marking significant advances in structural virology and antiviral drug discovery.
Most recently, the team published the paper "Structures and inhibition of the Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus polymerase" (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10701-6) in Nature on 22 July 2026. The study successfully resolved the complete cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structural landscape of the Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) polymerase across its functional states, revealing the molecular mechanism underlying viral RNA synthesis and addressing a long-standing knowledge gap in the field.
Based on the newly resolved target protein structure, the researchers identified two promising lead compounds with distinct mechanisms of inhibition. The macrocyclic compound WXSH0208 inhibits the polymerase's cap-snatching endonuclease activity, while the nucleoside analogue 2FC demonstrates potent RNA chain termination activity at nanomolar concentrations. These findings further validate the effectiveness and reliability of the structure-based rational drug design platform developed by the research team.
This is the second study on viral polymerase structures and inhibitors published by Professor Peng Zhan and his collaborators in top-tier scientific journals within just six months. Earlier, in late April 2026, the team published "Differential inhibition of Morbillivirus and Henipavirus polymerases by ERDRP-0519 and structure-guided inhibitor optimization" (DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.011) in Cell. Together, these two studies demonstrate the successful integration of structural virology and medicinal chemistry, opening new avenues for antiviral drug research and development.
Professor Peng Zhan has served as an Adjunct Professor at TDTU since 2022 and is currently a member of the Biophysics Research Laboratory at the Institute of Advanced Technology (IAST). He has actively collaborated with TDTU research groups, notably co-authoring the paper "Searching for potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease using supervised learning and perturbation calculations," published in the journal Chemical Physics.
More information about Professor Peng Zhan is available on the TDTU website:
https://science.tdtu.edu.vn/adjunct-professors/prof-peng-zhan
