Japan–Korea collaboration on biophysical techniques for drug discovery in infectious diseases: Toward future pandemic preparedness

Biophysical techniques are rapidly evolving through technological innovations and significantly contribute to the acceleration of drug discovery.The Center for Research and Education on Drug Discovery of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Hokkaido University (CREDD) was established in 2011, and we aim to harness these advances-particularly cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM)-to address pressing medical needs in infectious diseases.In collaboration with Korean research groups renowned for their expertise in structural biology, virology, immunology, and drug discovery research, we are currently pursuing the possible collaboration of Japan's advanced structural biology and compound library platforms with Korea's representative capabilities to facilitate antimicrobial discovery.This commentary summarizes our recent structural analyses of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins and broadly neutralizing antibodies, describes the establishment of a rare BSL-3 cryo-EM system in the world, and outlines prospects for a Japan-Korea partnership in structure-guided drug discovery to strengthen global preparedness for future pandemics. COVID-19 and cryo-EMThe emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, has presented a global health challenge.In response, vaccines and therapeutic agents have been developed at a remarkable speed.However, the continual evolution of the virus, particularly the emergence of the Omicron variant and its sublineages, has reduced the effectiveness of many neutralizing antibodies.Cryo-EM has become indispensable for elucidating the structural mechanisms underlying immune evasion and antibody recognition.CREDD integrates a comprehensive chemical library, encompassing existing drugs, natural products, and nucleic acids, with high-throughput screening and state-of-the-art structural biology platforms, including cryo-EM.This infrastructure enables the visualization of biomolecular interactions, such as drug binding to viral proteins, thereby informing rational therapeutic design. The nationwide structural virology networkCREDD participates in two major national consortia: G2P Japan (led by Prof. Kei Sato,