Source: Dennis Wise
Antibiotics have been great for treating bacterial infections, offering a quick fix for those who have fallen ill, but when it comes to viral infections, things get a little more complicated. However, a recent study is here to change that.
A team formed at the University of Washington, lead by Michael Gale Jr, has found “a certain compound is able to trigger genes that regulate the immune response against viruses,” shared A Plus. This information could help treat viruses such as influenza, West Nile, Hepatitis, and dengue fever. The outcome of the study, published in Journal of Virology, “suggests that this compound could be used to create one treatment that is capable of taking on these diseases caused by ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses.”
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“Our compound has an antiviral effect against all these viruses,” Gale Jr. shared with Science Daily.
By using this technique, the body’s natural ability to take care of these viruses is boosted.
“The compound bonds with RGI-I, a receptor used by the cells to detect the presence of RNA viruses. When this occurs, genes that control the immune response of these viruses become activated and start producing the antibodies needed to attack the pathogen, as well as necessary pro-inflammatory chemicals,” explained A Plus.
If this technique is successful, the outcome is pretty great. Scientist could work on developing one drug to develop a “one size fits all approach” rather than wasting their time on the individual drugs. The amount of people that this could help would be endless. The product could be mass-produced with the goal to keep the costs as low as possible.
“It’s routine for us to think of broad-spectrum antibiotics, but the equivalent for virology doesn’t exist,” shared co-author of the study, Shawn Iadonato. Since the virus isn’t directly targeted, it changes the odds that the viruses will evolve and become resistant over time.
While this finding is changing the way we can treat viral infections, the potential treatment won’t be available for a long time. Trials will be administered using safe and effective doses on animals and if that is successful it will move on to a human trials.
