Findings Point to Potential Approach to Treat Virus Causing Illness, Possible Paralysis

New research findings point toward a class of compounds that could be effective in combating infections caused by enterovirus D68, which has stricken children with serious respiratory infections and might be associated with polio-like symptoms in the United States and elsewhere.

The researchers have used a technique called X-ray crystallography to learn the precise structure of the original strain of EV-D68 on its own and when bound to an anti-viral compound called “pleconaril.” The ongoing research could lead to the development of drugs that inhibit infections caused by the most recent strains of the virus, said Michael G. Rossmann, Hanley Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at Purdue University.

Liu, Y., Sheng, J., Fokine, A., Meng, G., Shin, W.-H., Long, F., Kuhn, R. J., Kihara, D., and Rossmann, M. G.  Structure and inhibition of EV-D68, a virus that causes respiratory illness in children.  Science 347, 71–74 (2015)

Abstract

Click here for full article