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| Science & Technology |
| Spectrum Antiviral Agent Discovered |
| 2010-02-02 |
| Now, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, UCLA, Harvard University, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and Cornell University have teamed up to develop and test a broad-spectrum antiviral compound capable of stopping a wide range of highly dangerous viruses, including Ebola, HIV, hepatitis C virus, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever virus and yellow fever virus, among others. UCLA researchers led by Dr. Benhur Lee identified the compound (which they call LJ001), after screening a "library" of about 30,000 molecules to find a one that blocked the host cell entry of deadly Nipah virus. Subsequent experiments revealed that LJ001 blocked other viruses that, like Nipah, were surrounded by fatty capsules known as lipid envelopes. It had no effect on nonenveloped viruses. "Once we started testing more and more, we realized that it was only targeting enveloped viruses," said Alexander Freiberg, director of UTMB's Robert E. Shope, M.D. Laboratory, the Biosafety Level 4 lab where much of the cell-culture work was done, as well as mouse studies with Ebola and Rift Valley fever viruses. "We followed up and determined that it was somehow changing the lipid envelope to prevent the fusion of the virus particle with the host cell." Additional experiments indicated that while LJ001 also interacted with cell membranes, whose composition is nearly identical with that of virus envelopes, it caused them no ill effects. The reason, according to the researchers: Cells can rapidly repair their membranes, but viruses can't fix their envelopes. "At antiviral concentrations, any damage it does to the cell's membrane can be repaired, while damage done to static viral envelopes, which have no inherent regenerative capacity, is permanent and irreversible," said Lee. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #6 Hope the Galveston branch doesn't get hit by hurricane and some mutant strain break loose! OTOH, yes, its a valuable thing. |
| Posted by: Victor Emmanuel Glerens6368 2010-02-02 10:47 |
| #5 Why? It'll just be misused by a bunch of unfeeling doctors and ignorant patients. Here's a hint. Consider the bioterror implications of some of those viruses and then consider the value of an antiviral that could be stocked ahead of time and counter multiple such viruses with a single agent. USAMRIID's mission isn't limited to STDs among young troops or to the possibility of cooties on FOBs. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-02-02 09:04 |
| #4 Why not just use silver? |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2010-02-02 07:32 |
| #3 Could a cure for Obamaulosis (OBIS) be far off? o·be·ah (b-) also o·bi (b) n. pl. o·be·ahs also o·bis 1. A form of religious belief of African origin, practiced in some parts of the West Indies, Jamaica, and nearby tropical America, involving sorcery. 2. An object, charm, or fetish used in the practice of this religion. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-02-02 04:12 |
| #2 Why? It'll just be misused by a bunch of unfeeling doctors and ignorant patients. Look how they made current antibiotics useless. |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-02-02 03:18 |
| #1 This could really be valuable. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2010-02-02 01:47 |