Do not know if anyone took note of a posting by “bluetide” at 23:31 last night in the thread “News Reports For October 6″. It discusses and links to a article re discovery of a compound which, at least in cell cultures and in mice, actually PREVENTS influenza virus from entering cell, and was 100% effective against them in the tests, which INCLUDED H5N1! bluetides link is: http://tinyurl.com/r2u3y Comments. Sorry, link would not highlight/connect. Go to bluetides post to connect easily or copy it above.
Amazing discovery!
Thanks ‘bluetide’ and ‘NauticalMan’.
Can you imagine if it could be effective on H5N1 *AND* HIV-Aids and herpes, etc.. Good news!!!
More on these researchers and H5N1-
“Virus holds potential to shake the globe” in the ‘Milwakee Journal Sentinel’ >>>> http://tinyurl.com/ozcav. Very informative (from last year).
Jeremy C. Jones, Elizabeth A. Turpin, Hermann Bultmann, Curtis R. Brandt, and Stacey Schultz-Cherry INHIBITION OF INFLUENZA VIRUS INFECTION BY A NOVEL ANTIVIRAL PEPTIDE THAT TARGETS VIRAL ATTACHMENT TO CELLS J. Virol. 2006 : JVI.01678–06v1 Departments of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
Abstract Influenza A viruses continue to cause widespread morbidity and mortality. There is an added concern that the highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza A viruses, currently found throughout many parts of the world, represent a serious public health threat and may result in a pandemic. Intervention strategies to halt an influenza epidemic or pandemic are a high priority with an emphasis on vaccines and antiviral drugs. In these studies, we demonstrate that a 20-amino acid peptide (EB) derived from the signal sequence of fibroblast growth factor-4 exhibits broad-spectrum antiviral activity against influenza viruses including the H5N1 subtype in vitro. The EB peptide was protective in vivo even when administered post-infection. Mechanistically, the EB peptide inhibits the attachment to the cellular receptor preventing infection. Further studies demonstrated that the EB peptide specifically binds to the viral hemagglutinin (HA) protein. This novel peptide has potential value as a reagent to study virus attachment and as a future therapeutic.
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Thanks Fredness NaticalMan and bird-dog.
This has the potential to be a real advance in the fight against a pandemic influenza…
…I have said before that the current antivirals are primitive in the sense that they don’t work (resistance occurs far faster than in antibiotics) and have serious nervous system side-effects and in my opinion, given the high stress environment healthcare workers will find themselves in…could create serious problems if they are used as preventatives over extended time periods.
A new antiviral or family of antivirals are greatly needed. A group of scientists, including Dr. Osterhaus, tried to get a modest investment to put together a group to create new antivirals a few years ago but it was turned down by the World Health Organization.
However, we shouldn’t jump to far ahead of ourselves…because a novel protein or polypeptide also has the potential to stick a wrench in the working of cells or body systems…
…in a pandemic where death can be the alternative to treatment, we will take significant risks in treatment…
…but we should remember that Thialidamide was also a single molecule that caused significant birth defects…
…what they should be careful about is giving the molecule without adequate testing first…
…can you imagine if they had given thialidamide to all mothers in the world in the 1950–60′s.
With adequate testing however, it could turn out to be the preverbial needle in the haystack…thanks for bringing it up.
As has been written in the past, man has cured just about every disease known to man, at least in mice! This sounds very promising, and if this compound works, regardless of the final outcome of its viability, that means that others along this same line of research may be possible. Guess we are putting the cart before the horse here, as we are desperate to hear some good news on such a deadly foe as Influenza.
We have yet to cure any viral disease. Please review the definition of cure.
I no longer clap and go whoopee. This peptide—they don’t even understand the mechanism behind how it works—but still it rates a interview and newstory. IMO-it’s so remotely removed from the possiblility of making a human clinical trial it’s not worth reporting about it now. I guess we’re not to lose our faith in finding chemical helpers, but need I remind everyone that we are now over twenty five heards into the HIV/AIDs Pandemic?
Peptides do not always tame nicely and are known to associate with unplanned neighbors.
This all sounds like we have won the war on influenza. Why is this not true- or is it, but not yet???!
Blue, I think Leo7 & NS1′s comment should explain why there’s not reason to cheer yet. MAYBE it will pan out, but there’s a long hard road ahead for it to be tested and approved I guess…..I’m not counting on it for THIS pandemic, maybe the next one!
I would suggest that an enterprising microbiologist could find hundreds of peptides that would succeed at a similar stage of research to this one.
The finding here is a non-event in my mind outside of its obvious visceral appeal to those hoping for a miracle cure.
fredness quoted article in his post at 14:28:
In these studies, we demonstrate that a 20-amino acid peptide (EB) derived from the signal sequence of fibroblast growth factor-4 exhibits broad-spectrum antiviral activity against influenza viruses including the H5N1 subtype in vitro.
Hmm, shall we get specific…a quick check into fibroblast growth factor 4 shows:
(Tom DVM, your intuition switch must have been turned on, when you recalled the thalidomide problems above!)
IF this particular protein and its interference with H5N1 goes anywhere, I am seeing it will take years, and have doubts whether it would even get to the clinical trial stage.
No biological process exists in a glass box.
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