Although a variety of broad-spectrum antibiotics have been developed, broad-spectrum antiviral agents have proved more difficult to identify. Effective treatments have been developed for individual viruses such as HIV, herpes viruses and influenza viruses – and vaccines have also been…
Blog Archives
Natural Antiviral Proteins Discovered
Viruses are economical with their own genetic information, relying on requisition of host cellular proteins to complete their lifecycle. In a study to identify cellular proteins required by the H1N1 influenza virus, collaborators from Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Medical…
siRNA Experiments Identify Ebola Virus Drug Targets
Antiviral drugs that exclusively target viral factors rather than host cell processes offer the possibility of fewer side effects but at the cost of limiting possible targets and of providing selective pressure for the generation of drug-resistant viral variants. Recent…
‘Shock and Kill’ Tactics to Eradicate HIV-1
Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has proved effective at controlling HIV-1 replication, eradication of the virus from an infected individual cannot be achieved with current treatments. Latently infected, resting memory CD4+ T-cells and macrophages act as reservoirs for the…
Candidate Drug for Henipavirus Infection
Two viruses from the Henipavirus genus, Nipah (NiV) and Hendra (HeV), are recently emerged zoonitic (transmissible from animals to humans) paramyxoviruses that cause encephalitis in humans. HeV, previously known as equine morbillivirus, emerged as the causative agent of an outbreak…
Cyclophilin Inhibitors for the Treatment of HCV
Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of acute hepatitis and chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and cancer. Current treatments are not able to cure all of those chronically infected with the virus, and there is a…
SARS Protease Inhibitor Identified
The first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is caused by the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), are thought to have occurred in Guangdong province in southern China in November 2002. The virus quickly spread around the globe, with the…
New Target for Hepatitis C Treatment
Over 150 million people are estimated to be infected with the Hepatitis C virus. During the early stages of infection, the majority of people are free of symptoms but a significant number will later develop cirrhosis and possibly liver cancer.…
Quercetin Reduces Impact of Exercise Stress on Flu Infection in Mice
Whilst moderate exercise in humans appears to enhance immune function and resistance to viral infections, there is evidence that exhausting exercise suppresses the immune response and increases susceptibility to infections. Intense exercise stress has also been shown to increase susceptibility…
Cell Receptor for HCMV Entry Identified
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member of the Herpes virus family and infects 50-80% of adults in the US. After infection, the virus remains latent in the body for the rest of the person’s life. Most people who are infected…
