ASAP-0017445 (Moonshot ASAP)

There is a fundamental lack of potent broad-spectrum antivirals ready to be deployed when the next pandemic hits. Together with partners in the AI-driven Structure-enabled Antiviral Platform (ASAP), AViDD Center, funded by the NIH, DNDi is working to progress the development of backup compounds to the frontrunner SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) inhibitor named DNDI-6510, initially identified by the COVID Moonshot initiative.

The optimization work led by ASAP successfully resulted in the design and synthesis of novel, potent, non-covalent broad-spectrum coronavirus inhibitors covering all known severe, and potentially lethal, human coronaviruses – including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and MERS-CoV. Following further optimization of their potency and pharmacokinetic properties, the molecules demonstrated in vivo efficacy in pre-clinical models of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV infections.

The leading compound, ASAP-0017445, was nominated as a pre-clinical drug candidate in September 2025. It is the first coronavirus antiviral candidate developed through crowdsourcing using an open-science approach, and the first to use artificial intelligence to support early-stage advancement.