New compounds to treat RSV, Zika virus
New chemical compound shows promising antiviral activity
- Date:
- July 11, 2018
- Source:
- University of Alberta
- Summary:
- A new and promising class of chemical compounds
has major potential for treating Zika virus and respiratory syncytial
virus, or RSV, according to a new study.
A new and promising class of chemical
compounds has major potential for treating Zika virus and respiratory
syncytial virus, or RSV, according to a new study by University of
Alberta scientists. The next step is to develop a drug.
"This is both a remarkable scientific discovery and also something
that has the potential to positively affect not only global health but
also the economy of Canada," said Fred West, professor in the Department
of Chemistry who led the new discovery along with David Marchant in the
Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. The compound is
similar to the naturally occurring isatisine A, an antiviral compound
originally found in traditional Chinese herbal medicine.
Working in conjunction with Tom Hobman in the Faculty of Medicine
& Dentistry, West and Marchant developed and then tested this
chemical compound against powerful viruses, including RSV and Zika
virus. The results were promising, showing that the chemical compound
was active and effective against both viral infections.
Hobman is a professor of cell biology and an expert in the Zika
virus, a pathogen that can cause serious prenatal defects in pregnant
women that has been on the public radar since a major outbreak in May
2015. Marchant is a professor of medical microbiology and an expert in
RSV, which poses the biggest risk to infants, the elderly, and the
immunocompromised. The virus can be responsible for more than 30 per
cent of all hospitalized respiratory cases in any given year.
The next step of drug development is already underway. "What we aim
to do is further refine this compound, to keep the elements that make it
medically active and build in the structural components that make it
possible for patients to consume in drug form," explained West. "We are
approaching that point."
Story Source:
https://www.ualberta.ca/science/science-news/2018/july/new-compounds-to-treat-rsv-zika-virus" rel="nofollow - Materials provided by http://www.ualberta.ca" rel="nofollow - University of Alberta . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Bren Jordan P. Atienza, Lionel D. Jensen, Sarah L. Noton, Anil Kumar
Victoria Ansalem, Tom Hobman, Rachel Fearns, David J. Marchant, F. G.
West. Dual Catalytic Synthesis of Antiviral Compounds Based on Metallocarbene–Azide Cascade Chemistry. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 2018; 83 (13): 6829 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.8b00222" rel="nofollow - 10.1021/acs.joc.8b00222
Cite This Page: University
of Alberta. "New compounds to treat RSV, Zika virus: New chemical
compound shows promising antiviral activity." ScienceDaily.
ScienceDaily, 11 July 2018.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711182738.htm>. My source and related articles: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711182738.htm" rel="nofollow - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711182738.htm
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