A new method for treating all types of herpes virus has been developed. It targets physical properties of the virus genome rather than viral proteins to prevent genes from leaving the virus and infecting cells.
- The researchers focused their research on the physical properties of the herpes virus.
- They succeeded in reducing the internal pressure of the virus, preventing it from infecting cells.
A new approach to treating all types of herpes has emerged, bringing hope for the development of an effective drug. Researchers from Lund University (Sweden) have found that targeting the physical properties of the virus genome, rather than the viral proteins that are the traditional method, prevents genes from leaving the virus to infect cells by penetrating the envelope virus protein. Their results were published July 23 in the journal PLOS Pathogens.
A new approach targeting the physical properties of the virus
Herpes virus infections are a major challenge for which there is no cure. These infections are lifelong and alternate periods of latency and reactivation. Recently, researchers succeeded in explaining this mechanism of activation and deactivation which depends on the degree of concentration of the virus in the chromatin structure resulting from the capacity of the cells to block the viral DNA. If these succeed, the herpes is dormant but if they fail to do so, the virus particles activate their genes and replicate to trigger a lytic infection and cause an outbreak. All current antiviral treatments lead to the rapid development of resistance in patients with weakened immune systems and where the need for herpes treatment is great.
The evolution of the infection is determined by molecular and physical properties, but only molecular properties have so far received the attention of researchers. “We have a new and unique approach to studying viruses based on their specific physical propertiesdescribes Alex Evilevitch, senior lecturer at Lund University and principal investigator of the study. Our discovery marks a breakthrough in antiviral drug development because it does not target specific viral proteins that can rapidly mutate and cause drug resistance to develop. We hope that our research will contribute to the fight against viral infections that have so far been incurable..”
4 times more pressure than in a bottle of champagne
The researchers aimed to reduce the internal pressure of the herpes virus which contributes to the infection of cells. Inside the virus is a protein envelope about the genome — where the pressure is high — because it’s tightly packed with genetic material. “The pressure is four times higher than in a bottle of champagne and this allows herpes viruses to infect a cell by ejecting its genes at high speed into the cell nucleus after the virus enters the cellreports Alex Evilevich. This is then tricked into becoming a small virus factory that produces new viruses that can infect and kill other tissue cells, leading to different disease states..”
The goal was to identify small molecules capable of penetrating the virus and deactivating the pressure in the virus genome without damaging the cell. The results showed that this treatment has an antiviral effect far superior to standard treatments and even prevented viral infection. “The drugs available today to fight viral infections are highly specialized against viral proteinsreplaces the finder. If the virus mutates, which happens regularly, they become ineffective. If you succeed in developing a treatment that attacks the physical properties of a virus, for example by lowering the pressure inside the herpes virus envelope, it should be possible to counter many different types of viral infections within the same family of viruses using the same medicine.”
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