Posted on 08/30/2016 2:34:37 PM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt
A team of researchers from Florida State University, Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health has found existing drug compounds that can both stop Zika from replicating in the body and from damaging the crucial fetal brain cells that lead to birth defects in newborns.
One of the drugs is already on the market as a treatment for tapeworm.
"We focused on compounds that have the shortest path to clinical use," said FSU Professor of Biological Science Hengli Tang. "This is a first step toward a therapeutic that can stop transmission of this disease."
Tang, along with Johns Hopkins Professors Guo-Li Ming and Hongjun Song and National Institutes of Health scientist Wei Zheng identified two different groups of compounds that could potentially be used to treat Zika—one that stops the virus from replicating and the other that stops the virus from killing fetal brain cells, also called neuroprogenitor cells.
One of the identified compounds is the basis for a drug called Nicolsamide, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drug that showed no danger to pregnant women in animal studies. It is commonly used to treat tapeworm.
This could be prescribed by a doctor today, though tests are still needed to determine a specific treatment regimen for the infection.
The virus, among other diseases, can cause microcephaly in fetuses leading them to be born with severe birth defects.
"It's so dramatic and irreversible," Tang said. "The probability of Zika-induced microcephaly occurring doesn't appear to be that high, but when it does, the damage is horrible."
Researchers around the world have been feverishly working to better understand the disease—which can be transmitted both by mosquito bite and through a sexual partner—and also to develop medical treatments.
Tang, Ming and Song first met in graduate school 20 years ago and got in contact in January because Tang, a virologist, had access to the virus and Ming and Song, neurologists, had cortical stem cells that scientists needed to test.
The group worked at a breakneck pace with researchers from Ming and Song's lab, traveling back and forth between Baltimore and Tang's lab in Tallahassee where they had infected the cells with the virus.
Zika drug breakthrough with existing drugs available
...existing drug compounds that can both stop Zika from replicating in the body
and from damaging the crucial fetal brain cells that lead to birth defects in newborns
It’s called Multi-targeted Therapeutics. Biotec companies finding other uses for known drugs which can swiftly get a drug to market to cure something other than its original use.
My dad was invested in one of the first startup companies doing this type of research.
I forget in which of the Twin Towers they had their offices.
ROCK
As you’ve probably already heard, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently made an announcement declaring the Zika virus to be a global health emergency. They did so without providing much detail about the disease, however, so here is some more information and answers to questions many people are asking, such as: Where did it come from? And do the millions of genetically modified mosquitoes that have been released in these areas have anything to do with it?
First of all, this sexually-transmitted virus has been around for approximately 70 years, and is actually marketed by two companies, but before we get to that, let’s find out who owns the patent on the virus. It’s the Rockefeller Foundation.
You do realize that you are aledging corporate "bio-warfare", right ?
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
So far the false positive rate is 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
Florida officials report 1st discovery of Zika-positive mosquitoes in Miami Beach surveillance testing
http://www.breakingnews.com/item/2016/09/01/florida-officials-report-1st-discovery-of/
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