Researchers have identified potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through various methods, including the study of marine actinomycetes and phylogeny-based metabolomics. Other approaches, such as machine learning and computational design, have also been used to identify compounds with promising activity against the virus. The specific compounds and their sources vary across the studies, with some deriving from natural products like sea stars, plants, and bacteria, while others involve the repurposing or modification of existing drugs.