Author: Aldiyarbek Nurlan
Editor: Merentsova Anastasia
Currently, there are no approved drugs or vaccines for enterovirus 71, which affects hundreds of thousands of children every year, especially in Southeast Asia.
Enterovirus 71 infects a human cell by introducing its own RNA, which further leads to the replication of this virus and damage to other cells by the pathological process. is a wavy molecule. When RNA binds to other molecules (for example, "host proteins" or small molecule drugs), it takes on a different, three-dimensional shape.
Researchers have identified one molecule, called DMA-135, that invades infected human cells and attaches to the surface of the bulge, creating a kink in that area. During the experiment, the researchers were able to use this molecule to stop the accumulation of the virus inside human cell cultures in the laboratory (in vitro), with a greater effect at higher doses.
Researchers say it will take at least five years to move a new drug from the lab to the drug cabinet. In the meantime, the next step for the authors of the work is to make sure of the safety and effectiveness of the above means empirically, during an experiment on laboratory rats.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200922083912.htm
