Scientists develop new drug effective against drug-resistant influenza

Scientists writing in the journal Science say they have found a new class of influenza drug, effective against drug-resistant strains of the flu virus. University of British Columbia (UBC) researchers published details about the development of a new drug candidate that is capable of preventing flu virus from spreading from one cell to the next. So far, the drug has tested successfully in mice trials, using lethal strains of the flu virus. The flu virus utilizes a protein known as hemagglutinin to spread in the body, binding to the healthy cell’s receptors. Once it has inserted its RNA and replicated, the virus then uses an enzyme, known as neuraminidase, to sever the connection and move on to the next healthy cell. “Our drug agent uses the same approach as current flu treatments – by preventing neuraminidase from cutting its ties with the infected cell,” senior author UBC Chemistry Prof. Steve Withers, said in...