The researchers, based at the University of Illinois at Chicago, think the drug could be equally effective for treating HSV-1 in the mouth and HSV-2, which primarily affects the genitals. They also believe it could be effective for treating other viral infections, such as HIV.
Nucleoside analogs, which are the drugs currently available to treat HSV-1 infections, work by keeping the virus from producing the proteins it needs to replicate. Patients who use these drugs on an ongoing basis frequently become resistant to them.
“We have needed alternative drugs that work on new targets for a very long time because patients who develop resistance to nucleoside analogs have very few good options for treating their infection,” said co-author Deepak Shukla, PhD. “We have found a molecule that works in a totally novel fashion. Instead of working on the virus, it works in the host cells and helps them to clear the virus.”
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