EXISTING HEART DRUG COULD CURE EBOLA
Researchers at the
University of Liverpool have made a breakthrough that can lead to a cure for
the deadly Ebola virus currently sweeping through West Africa, media reports
said.
The university has
said the experts stumbled across an existing drug used in the treatment of
severe heart disease, which could be adapted to fight the contagious Ebola
virus, Xinhua reported Saturday.
A team from the Health
Protection Research Unit in Emerging Infections, based at the University of
Liverpool’s Institute of Infection and Global Health, have been investigating
new ways to treat Ebola.
In collaboration with
Public Health England, the team has been looking at how Ebola virus hijacks
proteins inside cells, and then seeking ways to stop this from happening.
They looked at what
proteins inside a cell are critical for the functions of Ebola virus and are
hijacked by the virus to help with infection.
One of the proteins
they have targeted is known as VP24. This protein disrupts signalling in
infected human cells and disrupts the body’s immune system and the fight
against the virus.
From there, the
Liverpool team looked at whether any existing drugs already block the function
of this particular protein. They found the heart drug ouabain, when
administered, can reduce the virus’ replication.
The team said further
tests need to be done, but as the heart drug is already in use, much of the
work to test whether it is safe for humans has already been completed.
This, they said, would
potentially speed up the time it could take get the treatment to Ebola patients
in need.
The study was led by
Julian Hiscox from the university’s Institute of Infection and Global Health
and Roger Hewson at Public Health England.
“This study shows how
existing therapeutics can be identified and potentially repurposed for
anti-viral therapy. The technique of using existing and tested drugs for a
different purpose can save considerable time and ultimately, lives,” Xinhua
quoted Hiscox as saying.
The Ebola outbreak, by
far the largest in the nearly 40-year history of the disease, has infected
4,269 people and killed 2,400 this year in three West African countries,
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the WHO.
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