Model Medicines’ three-part antiviral video series brings together AI-driven drug discovery and world-class infectious disease expertise to explore one of the most important questions in modern medicine: can we develop antiviral medicines with the breadth, flexibility, and speed needed to address both known pathogens and future viral threats?

The series features Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., of The Chanda Lab at Scripps Research, a leading antiviral drug discovery scientist whose work spans virus-host interactions, innate immunity, and RNA viruses with pandemic potential. His research has helped shape the field’s understanding of how viruses exploit host biology and how those insights can be translated into new therapeutic strategies.

Episode 1 introduces the case for broad-spectrum antivirals, framing the limitations of the traditional one-virus, one-drug model and the need for more adaptable approaches to infectious disease treatment and pandemic preparedness. The conversation sets up the central scientific challenge behind MDL-001: identifying oral, direct-acting antivirals with potential activity across multiple viral families.

Episode 2 goes deeper into the biology, examining the rationale for targeting conserved viral machinery, including the Thumb-1 domain of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. The discussion connects MDL-001’s mechanism to the broader possibility of developing antiviral candidates that may be relevant across respiratory, hepatic, and gastrointestinal viruses.

Episode 3 focuses on translation, exploring how AI-enabled discovery, experimental validation, and deep virology expertise come together to advance promising antiviral candidates toward real-world therapeutic impact. The episode highlights how Model Medicines is using GALILEO™ to bridge computational scale with biological insight in pursuit of medicines designed for a more resilient infectious disease future.