Molecules That Can Fight Off Viruses Have Been Discovered!

Virus-fighting molecules have been designed by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which could help treat herpes and COVID-19, as published in the journal Pharmaceuticals. Antimicrobial peptides are the class of most powerful biochemical of the human immune system that helps the body in fighting off viruses. This idea of leveraging these peptides’ natural virus-combat skills into new drug therapies has been the center of research for many studies for decades.

However, these peptides are prone to get easily broken down with enzymes so that their therapeutic properties have been robbed away. Hence they cannot be formulated into ideal drugs for this reason.

The One-Two Punch Therapy

The study team has addressed the shortcomings of peptides by designing peptide-like molecules called “peptoids” that can inactivate viruses with a special focus on herpes virus (responsible for sexually transmitted infections).

Peptoids belong to a class of biochemical called “biomimetics,” – those that mimic the behavior of biological molecules and are engineered for their prolonged durability. It was seen that the molecules were capable of destroying the virus’s encapsulating outer membranes.

“Peptoids destroy the membranes, not just of herpes but of other viruses as well. This should give them wide applicability, perhaps even against certain deadly viral infections that currently have no cure,” says Annelise Barron, an associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford School of Engineering.

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The team thereby believes that the technology could make possible an emerging category of antiviral drugs that could treat everything from herpes and COVID-19 to the common cold. However additional research is required to commercially develop and test these peptoid-based antiviral drugs.

Source-Medindia