• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Study: New approach to treating viral diseases discovered

Infection Control Monitor, February 4, 2005

Scientists have discovered that by blocking cellular signaling pathways that viruses depend on for reproduction, they can fight diseases such as smallpox, the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports.

The findings point to a possible strategy for broadly treating acute viral infections. Ultimately, if scientists develop a drug that is able to treat smallpox victims, the virus' potential as a bioterror agent could diminish.

From the study, scientists, including some from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, have a new understanding of the actual steps that take place once a virus has invaded the body.

"The advantage of signaling pathways is that cells, and the structures that send and receive signals, are far less likely to mutate than viruses themselves, making it improbable that drugs will lose their potency," says the study's senior author, Ellis Reinherz, MD.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive