Three already existing drugs may offer pregnant women and their developing fetuses protection against the damaging effects of Zika virus, UPI reported citing a new study.
Researchers identified the three potential Zika treatments in the laboratory by screening 6,000 different compounds that included already-approved drugs and clinical trial drug candidates.
“We specifically in this screen tried to take advantage of compounds that are already FDA-approved or in some stage of clinical development,” said study co-author Emily Lee, a graduate student of molecular biology at Florida State University in Tallahassee. “This compound wouldn’t necessarily be good for treating infections by itself because it can’t stop the infection, but maybe we can use it to buy time and protect the cells against the infection,” she said.
Zika virus is mainly spread via mosquito bites. Infection poses significant risks to pregnant women, because it can cause a birth defect called microcephaly, which results in babies born with undersized heads and underdeveloped brains.
The virus achieved epidemic status in the U.S territory of Puerto Rico, and is widespread throughout Central and South America.
The new research moved at breakneck pace, identifying the three compounds in a couple of months thanks to a large-scale collaboration between the U.S National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Florida State University, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, Emory University in Atlanta, and Zhejiang University in China, Lee said.
Researchers already have started testing the drugs in mice, but much work needs to be done before they become available to humans, Lee noted.—AG/IINA