hepatitis C tagged posts

New antiviral materials m lade from sugar have been developed to destroy viruses on contact and may help in the fight against viral outbreaks.

This new development from a collaborative team of international scientists shows promise for the treatment of herpes simplex (cold sore virus), respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis C, HIV, and Zika virus to name a few. The team have demonstrated success treating a range of viruses in the lab – including respiratory infections to genital herpes.

The research is a result of a collaboration between scientists from The University of Manchester, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland...

It’s been known for years that humans and other mammals possess an antiviral gene called RSAD2 that prevents a remarkable range of viruses from multiplying. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore, have discovered the secret to the gene’s success: The enzyme it codes for generates a compound that stops viruses from replicating. The newly discovered compound, described in today’s online edition of Nature, offers a novel approach for attacking many disease-causing viruses.

“Nature has given us a template for creating a powerful and safe antiviral compound,” says study leader Steven C. Almo, Ph.D...

By studying the banana lectin molecule (top left) and what made it bind to both viruses and immune system cells (bottom left), the team was able to figure out how to change the way cells bind it, to make a new version (top right) that still binds viruses but doesn’t cause inflammation (bottom right). Credit: University of Michigan

The process used to create the virus-fighting form may help scientists develop even more drugs, by harnessing the “sugar code” that our cells use to communicate. That code gets hijacked by viruses and other invaders. The new research focuses on a protein called banana lectin, or BanLec, that “reads” the sugars on the outside of both viruses and cells...