Scientists are closer to developing antiviral to fight mpox, Covid

With Covid still looming large scientists will soon be able to develop antivirals to manage mpox formerly known as monkeypox as well as CovidSince May 2022 mpox has spread into more than 100 countries and caused over 86900 infections across the worldA team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague deciphered the structure of the protein methyltransferase from the monkeypox virusIt is with the help of this protein that the virus escapes human immunity and causes the monkeypox diseaseBased on this discovery they prepared substances that can block the function of methyltransferaseThe results of this research published in Nature Communications may constitute the first step towards creating a completely new group of antiviralsThis applies not only to monkeypox but also to diseases caused by other viruses including Covid19 induced by the SARSCoV2 coronavirus the team said The deadly Covid virus has infected over 763 million and claimed more than 69 million lives globallyScientists from IOCB have for many years been studying viruses that cause serious diseases In the past they focused on the Zika virus from the flavivirus group or the SARSCoV2 virus from the coronavirus groupLike other viruses the monkeypox virus multiplies in a host cell For it to defend itself against external attack it needs to recognise which RNA molecules are its own and which are notNative RNA molecules carry a special marker called a cap for easier recognition An unmarked molecule triggers an innate antiviral immunity response in infected cells Therefore viruses try to deceive the human body and for example the monkeypox virus confuses it by also adding a cap to its RNA explained Evzen Boura from the IOCBThe symptoms of monkeypox resemble those of smallpox a disease that has already been eradicated Until recently the virus causing it was found only in Central and Western AfricaIts natural reservoirs reside in rodents and primates In humans it can cause a disease with an estimated mortality rate of three to six per centWhile this is less than in the case of smallpox it is much higher than for example with Covid19Recently the monkeypox virus has spread worldwide so it is no wonder that not only experts but also the general population and public authorities are nervously watching the threat of another global viral pandemicOur colleagues perfectly combine structural biology and cuttingedge medicinal chemistry Thanks to that we are closer to discovering new antivirals said Prof Jan Konvalinka the director of IOCB PragueAlso Read Study finds how exercise is more important than diet to maintain weight lossThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever