**5. NGS in SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery**

As infections with the SARS-CoV-2 virus have become more aggressive, there is an urgent need for evaluating different drugs that may contribute to a better and effective treatment of this infection. The majority of drugs used for SARS-CoV-2 treatment are drugs currently in use for treatment of other diseases [243–245], and these have been evaluated for their efficacy using computational drug discovery analysis [246–248].

Although NGS has been used primarily for genome identification of SARS-CoV-2 [249–252], as well as for evaluation of mutations developed during viral spread in different countries [253–255], there are some studies wherein RNA sequencing is used for identifying new drug treatments. One such study has used NGS for evaluation of affected genes during SARS-CoV-2 infections. In this study, different genes involved in RNA regulation, histone remodeling, cellular signaling, and chromatin remodeling are identified. Some of these identified genes have demonstrated either pro- or antiviral activities; thus, these genes could serve as potential tools for different therapies or vaccines [256]. In another study, a shotgun metatranscriptomics RNA sequencing technique is used for a cohort of New York SARS-CoV-2 infected patients, and have identified host-responses to SARS-CoV-2 infections in different pathways such as interferon, ACE, olfactory, and hematological pathways [179]. Moreover, they have also analyzed risks associated with angiotensin blockers and ACE inhibitor treatments in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients [179].
