Per Sunnerhagen

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About

Per Sunnerhagen is a researcher whose work sits at the productive intersection of yeast genetics, antiviral drug discovery, and antiparasitic therapeutics. His research leverages *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* as a powerful experimental platform for identifying and screening inhibitors of pathogen-encoded enzymes, offering innovative approaches to infectious disease treatment. Sunnerhagen's most notable contributions include the development of genetic screening systems in yeast to identify inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro), a critical target for COVID-19 antiviral therapy. His 2021 work established a genetic trap platform for this purpose, later refined into an automated positive selection screen that highlighted boron-containing compounds as promising MPro inhibitors. Beyond coronaviruses, his laboratory has extended this yeast-based methodology to tackle malaria, developing a target-based platform to screen inhibitors of *Plasmodium vivax* deoxyhypusine synthase, an enzyme essential for parasite survival. While his recent publications are still accumulating citations — reflecting their novelty — the methodological ingenuity they represent positions Sunnerhagen as a creative force in drug discovery tool development. His work offers researchers versatile, cost-effective platforms for combating some of the world's most pressing infectious diseases.