Acyclic nucleoside phosphonates (ANPs) represent a well-known class of potent antiviral agents. However, biological activities of ANPs are not restricted to antiviral effects only. Various structurally modified ANPs were shown to exhibit anti-parasitic and antibacterial properties as well. Novel series of ANPs have been recently studied as potent inhibitors of parasitic (e.g. genera Plasmodium and Trypanosoma) and bacterial (e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis) 6-oxopurine phosphoribosyltransferases (PRTases). PRTases are key enzymes of the purine salvage pathway, catalyzing the conversion of 6-oxopurine bases to the corresponding nucleotides for the production of nucleic acids. Other types of ANPs have been evaluated as potential inhibitors of other important enzymes, e.g. bacterial adenylate cyclases (adenylate cyclase toxin from Bordetella pertussis and edema factor from Bacillus anthracis) or human and parasitic purine nucleoside phosphorylases. An overview of the most recent achievements in this promising field of medicinal chemistry will be presented.

Dr. Zlatko Janeba earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) in Prague, part of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. He underwent his postdoctoral training in the groups of Prof. Morris J. Robins at Brigham Young Universityand Prof. Paul F. Torrance at Northern Arizona University.In 2005 he joined MoravekBiochemicals, Inc. in California (for 3 years), one of the leading companies in the field of custom synthesis of radiolabeled compounds for pharmaceutical research worldwide. In 2008 he rejoined the research group of Prof. Antonín Holý at IOCB and in 2010 he established his Junior Research Group within IOCB. Dr. Janeba is currently the head of Senior Research Group at IOCB, named “Targeted Analogs of Nucleic Acid Components”, where he manages the team of 13 scientists and students.Current research of the group involves design, synthesis and SAR studies of modified nucleosides and nucleotides with a wide range of biological properties, especially antiviral, anticancer, and anti-parasitic. He is a member of International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) and International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (IS3NA).He is an associate editor of Antiviral Chemistry & Chemotherapy. Dr. Janeba published over 70 papers with some 600 citations and h-index 14 (Web of Science).