Every few years, a researcher appears in medicinal chemistry whose work stands out from the general stream not by the scale of funding, but by the very logic of the approach. Ukrainian professor Anatoliy Demchenko from the Mykola Gogol Nizhyn State University is just such a case. For more than thirty years, he has been working with the same class of substances — nitrogen-containing heterocycles — and testing them in two directions at once: against viruses and against tumor cells. I analyzed this array of research to understand how seriously the stated results should be taken.
The idea that one molecule works as both an antiviral and an antitumor agent sounds like a marketing ploy. In fact, the mechanism is quite rational. Viral replication and cancer cell division rely on structurally similar target proteins — polymerases, kinases, topoisomerases. A molecule that blocks such a target in a virus will likely affect its counterpart in a tumor cell. In pharmacochemistry, this is called dual action, and Demchenko is far from the first to come across it — a similar logic can be traced, for example, in acridine or quinolone derivatives. But he has consistently applied this logic, for decades, to the same scaffolds — triazine, triazole, indolizine.
There is actually something to get caught up in here. Back in the late 80s, Anatoly Demchenko, together with Professor Oleksandr Krasovsky, received a copyright certificate for a compound with activity against the Coxsackie B4 virus. Later, in co-authorship with Professor Volodymyr Sukhoveev, dozens of Ukrainian patents appeared for substances against the H1N1 and H3N2 influenza, Takarybe arenavirus, and yellow fever virus. This is not a recent hype topic — it is a rare case when the stated expertise is confirmed by documents from decades before COVID-19.
When the first scientific data on SARS-CoV-2 appeared in the spring of 2020, the research group promptly proposed to check the archive of synthesized compounds accumulated over many years against the new virus. This approach made it possible not to start the search for potentially active substances from scratch, but to use the already established scientific base and proven chemical platforms. According to the results of studies conducted in virological centers in the USA, individual compounds demonstrated the ability to inhibit the activity of the virus in nanomolar concentrations, which is a significant result for the initial stage of laboratory screening and indicates the prospects for further development.
Based on the results obtained, an international patent application WO2024151953A1 was filed, which legally secured the priority of the developers for a new class of potentially antiviral compounds. This application is not a registration of a finished drug and does not replace preclinical and clinical trials, but it confirms the presence of a scientifically sound technological basis for the creation of a new drug. The value of the development lies precisely in the timely identification of promising molecules, their high activity at the stage of primary testing and the possibility of further targeted improvement. Provided that safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetic properties and an appropriate therapeutic profile are confirmed, these compounds can become the basis of a full-fledged antiviral drug.
It is worth noting the peer-reviewed publication of 2023 in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry — it describes new 6-aryl-3-R-amino-1,2,4-triazin-5(4H)-ones with activity against yellow fever virus with low cytotoxicity. And the data of 2026 on derivatives of 2-amino-3-benzoyl-N-indolizine-1-carboxamide show activity against influenza A strains — California H1N1 and Brisbane H3N2. This is no longer an isolated case, but a stable series of results in a reputable journal.
In the oncology part of the program, the most interesting result is the work with arylamides of tetrahydro-diazacyclopenta-azulene-carboxylic acid against the PC-3 line, i.e. hormone-resistant prostate cancer. This is one of the most difficult niches in oncourology: when the tumor stops responding to anti-androgen therapy, non-hormonal alternatives are lacking in clinical practice. The fact that the research is conducted in partnership with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) through the open screening program NCI-60 adds weight – this means that the compounds have been independently tested on a panel of 60 cell lines, and not just on the author’s own equipment.
Additionally, Ukrainian patents for triazole derivatives (No. 115644) and triazine with activity against the MDA-MB-468 breast cancer line have been registered – this is a less well-covered, but fully documented part of the work.
| Chemical framework | Target / virus, line | Development stage |
|---|---|---|
| Triazin-5(4H)-ones | Yellow fever virus | In vitro, publication 2023 |
| Indolysine-carboxamides | Influenza A (H1N1, H3N2) | In vitro, data 2026 |
| Coronavirus series of compounds | SARS-CoV-2 | Patent application WO2024151953A1 |
| Tetrahydro-diazacyclopenta-azulenes | Prostate cancer PC-3 | NCI screening |
| Triazole derivatives (pat. No. 115644) | Tumor cells, broad spectrum | Patent of Ukraine |
WO2024151953A1 confirms the international patent publication of the development of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds intended for the potential treatment of COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections. This certifies that the corresponding class of compounds has been obtained and has undergone laboratory studies. The priority of the development is legally recorded. Inventors of the international application: Anatolii Demchenko, Eugene Stavtsev, Sergii Demchenko. Priority date: January 15, 2023. International application filing date: January 12, 2024. Publication date: July 18, 2024. International application number: PCT/US2024/011398. This application continued the procedure in the USA under the number US20260076973A1.
In order to officially recognize the corresponding compound as a full-fledged medicine, it is necessary to go through a much wider set of research and regulatory procedures. First, further preclinical testing should be conducted, including evaluation of toxicity, safety, pharmacokinetics, possible side effects, and acceptable dosing. And then – clinical trials with the participation of people, during which its safety, therapeutic effectiveness, optimal scheme of use and the ratio of expected benefits and potential risks are consistently confirmed.
Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic structures, including triazines, triazoles, and indolizines, are the basis of many of these research directions. Due to their spatial and electronic structure, they can mimic individual fragments of natural enzyme substrates and interact with the active centers of both viral and cellular target proteins.
The concept of dual action, applied in the works of Anatoly Demchenko, is also used by other scientific groups. The peculiarity of his scientific school lies in the duration, systematicity and consistency of research: for more than thirty years, one laboratory has been studying related molecular scaffolds and their effect on various biological targets.
The closest to possible practical application is the anti-tumor direction associated with the PC-3 cell line. The corresponding results have the most thorough documentary base, have been verified in independent research centers within the framework of the NCI-60 program and were presented in a 2023 publication in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. The coronavirus direction has significant scientific and information resonance, but is currently at an earlier stage of development.
Find out why microbial consortia are becoming the new standard for organic farming. Scientific review, comparison, FAQ and practical recommendations.
Why do biostimulants give different results? Analysis of scientific data, effectiveness factors and field tests GREENODIN GRAY.
Sapropel restores soil water retention and fertility after drought. Mechanism of action, application rates, comparison with other land reclamation methods.
