FDA-approved Abl/EGFR/PDGFR kinase inhibitors show potent efficacy against pandemic and seasonal influenza A virus infections of human lung explants

Influenza viruses (IVs) cause substantial global morbidity and mortality. Given the limited range of licensed antiviral drugs and their reduced efficacy due to resistance mutations, repurposing FDA-approved kinase inhibitors as fast-tracked host-targeted antivirals is an attractive strategy. We identified six FDA-approved non-receptor tyrosine kinase-inhibitors (NRTKIs) as potent inhibitors of viral replication of pandemic and seasonal IVs in vitro. We validated their efficacy in a biologically and clinically relevant ex vivo model of human precision-cut lung slices. We identified steps of the virus infection cycle affected by these inhibitors and assessed their effect(s) on host responses. Their overlapping targets suggest crosstalk between Abl, EGFR, and PDGFR pathways during IAV infection. Our data and established safety profiles of these NRTKIs provide compelling evidence for further clinical investigations and repurposing as host-targeted influenza antivirals. Moreover, these NRTKIs have broad-spectrum antiviral potential given that their kinase/pathway targets are critical for the replication of many viruses.