Luminescent Assay for the Screening of SARS‐CoV‐2 M^Pro Inhibitors

Abstract

Abstract Since the outbreak of SARS‐CoV‐2 in December 2019 millions of infections have been reported globally. The viral chymotrypsin‐like main protease (M Pro ) exhibits a crucial role in viral replication and represents a relevant target for antiviral drug development. In order to screen potential M Pro inhibitors we developed a luminescent assay using a peptide based probe containing a cleavage site specific for M Pro . This assay was validated showing IC 50 values similar to those reported in the literature for known M Pro inhibitors and can be used to screen new inhibitors.