Software Developed by UIC Researchers Identifies Cancer Drug that Can Also Treat Herpes

Posted on September 25, 2026
Six people wearing white lab coats posing together near a computer monitor displaying data.
Standing (from left): Sudhanshu Singh, Xiang Shen and Chandrashekhar Patil. Sitting (from left): Pankaj Sharma, Divya Kapoor and Deepak Shukla. (Photo: Deepak Shukla)

A research team led by Dr. Deepak Shukla, virologist at the UI College of Medicine, developed a software platform that can predict how small molecules may bind to a larger molecular target. Using the new software, the team discovered that the cancer drug doxorubicin can be effective in combating the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). Cancer patients are often immunocompromised and especially vulnerable to HSV-1 infection, and the common herpes treatment of acyclovir may cause kidney damage when taken in large doses. Doxorubicin is already FDA-approved and, for cancer patients receiving the drug, it might reduce the need for higher doses of acyclovir. The study also found that doxorubicin is effective against acyclovir-resistant HSV-1 strains, although clinical trials are needed to confirm its antiviral efficacy in patients.