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| Science & Technology |
| Researchers Discover First Multi-Virus Antiviral Drug |
| 2010-04-16 |
| Unlike antibiotics, which kill many different types of bacteria, antiviral drugs for the most part need to target individual, specific viruses. A drug that attacks a multitude of viruses -- an antibiotic for viruses, effectively -- would be a significant boon for medicine. And a group of researchers led by UCLA scientists just may have discovered exactly that. Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe an early proof-of-concept study on a chemical they call LJ001. The chemical attacks the structure of viruses themselves, and may potentially cure a wide swath of disease ranging from influenza to AIDS to Ebola. For all the complexity of the diseases they cause, viruses are very simple; just a bunch of DNA in a lipid sack. LJ001 attacks that lipid sack, as well as the lipid membrane of healthy cells. But whereas the healthy cells can easily repair the damage, the inert viruses simply fall apart. Previous attempts at creating wide-spectrum anti-viral drugs have largely failed. Some are in use, but they are very expensive, and because they work by attacking RNA and DNA replication, they often carry significant side effects. By attacking the structure of the viruses, not the replication, LJ001 may end up as the first drug in a new age of medicine. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #4 Besoeker: Not really. But it could be an effective way for us to treat many viruses other than with our immune systems. Everything from hepatitis, ebola, HIV, various poxes, herpes, and a lot of other nasties have lipid envelopes. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-04-16 21:06 |
| #3 Anonymoose....does this mean none of us are going to get out alive? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-04-16 16:22 |
| #2 Silver puzzled researchers for years because it was not toxic to viruses, but inhibits their reproduction inside other cells. A good effect, but not the same one. Parallel to this, there was just another discovery of a drug that activated dormant viruses within cells--that may have turned those cells cancerous while dormant. By going active, they become vulnerable to antiviral agents that might also identify the cancerous cells in the process, making them easier to fight as well. In this case, however, viruses could be attacked in a way they could not repair, but cells with DNA could repair. Which seems to be similar to how Vitamin D has antiviral properties--by attacking the lipid coat. Ironically, this drug may create a problem if it destroys too many of the wrong kind of viruses, bacteriophage type. They are very common viruses that naturally attack bacteria, and keep bacteria under control. So say you have a serious viral disease. This may kill it, but open you up to a host of deadly bacterial diseases. Just speculation. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-04-16 16:17 |
| #1 Just silver coat stuff that people touch, it kills bacteria and viruses and isn't too toxic. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2010-04-16 11:50 |