New Drug Target for Dengue Virus Identified: A Massive Stride for Medical Science

New Drug Target for Dengue Virus Identified: A Massive Stride for Medical Science

Scientists have identified a new drug target which can eliminate the deadly dengue virus. This is good news for those looking for a potential vaccine for this widespread mosquito-borne disease. According to figures provided by the World Health Organization, more than 2.5 billion people across the globe are currently at risk for developing dengue. Through an experimental technique which is relatively new, scientists have demonstrated that the molecular hinge where the two regions of a certain protein join is the point where natural antibodies attached to Type 3 dengue virus destroy it.

Dengue is a major menace in India. National Vector Borne Disease Control Program officers have counted more than 32,000 cases of dengue in the year 2013. Nearly 100 deaths due to this disease were reported last year. Kerala had the highest number of dengue patients totalling to nearly 7000. The fatality rate due to dengue is worsening each year. In 2012, nearly 240 of the 50,000 dengue patients in the country died due to this disease. The identification of a new drug target for this virus has a lot of advantages for dengue stricken patients in India as well as other nations.

Researchers have found that most human antibodies neutralize the virus by binding to the hinge. This is the first study of its kind because it has shown how binding sites can be genetically exchanged without damaging the integrity of the virus. This provides critical insights regarding how human antibodies are put into action. Microbiology as well as immunology experts are praising the finding of this research as being critical to finding an optimal solution for dengue.

This landmark study could also pave the way to create vaccines for other diseases as well. Vaccine developers at these pharmaceutical companies can test the impact of potential vaccines for new clinical trials. The chance that this study’s findings may lead to the development of an effective vaccine for the disease is high. Vaccine developers are looking to tap into the study’s conclusions to develop powerful antidotes and vaccines for the disease.

So far, finding a good dengue vaccine has been tough because of the phenomenon known as antibody dependent enhancement. People infected with a certain type of dengue virus develop a natural immune response that ensures that the germs do not develop in the body again. In other words, they are immunized from a second possible attach of the same virus type. People infected with another type of dengue however, can face adverse reactions following the development of immunization to the first disease. This can lead to hemorrhagic fever which can be fatal.

New research has also found that flavi-viruses producing a unique RNA molecule lead to the disease. Nearly 40% of the people across the globe can be at risk to this disease. Apart from headaches, pain and fever, some dengue patients also develop fatal conditions where tiny blood vessels in the body start leaking. Flavi-viruses such as West Nile virus and dengue are rapidly spreading across the world. Studies have shown that the virus which leads to dengue is caused when certain viruses use instructions encoded on a single stand of RNS to infect a cell. They also use this means to reproduce themselves across the body.

Flavi-viruses are disease causing pathogens. Viruses such as dengue use the enzyme cells employ to eliminate RNA. Instead, short stretches of RNA are produced which may assist the virus to avoid the immune response of the host cell. Dengue and other such viruses use a certain type of RNA molecule which is structured to resist the enzyme that could destroy.

The key findings of new research and studies can have a wide number of benefits for the medical community and the world. While more research in this area will be forthcoming, this exciting study is the first to identify the precise mechanisms by which dengue develops and multiplies in the human body. The potential application of these research findings in developing new vaccines for dengue is tremendous.