New Therapy to Combat Viral Diseases

September 14, 2005 — 
  [ES]

A research paper published in the September issue of the Journal of Virology describes a unique approach to combat viral diseases. The collaborative work, involving researchers from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention among others, addresses viral replication at the host cell level rather than attacking the virus itself.

Most antiviral therapies are directed at the virus which often finds ways to adapt and render the therapy ineffective. These researchers report that by closing off a common host cell exit pathway, replicating viruses are effectively trapped in the host cell and are unable to spread to adjacent cells.

Thomas Hodge, research professor of infectious diseases at the veterinary college, and his colleagues have reported that blocking the cellular protein Rab9 prevented the replication of four different viruses - Marburg, HIV-1, Ebola and Measles. They speculate that the procedure may be effective on a wide range of viruses.

Sources:
Press release: http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/050912_Hodge.shtml
Research abstract: http://jvi.asm.org/