New Approach to Treating Virus that May Cause Polio-like Symptoms

Scientists may have found a new technique to treat a virus that may cause possible paralysis. Researchers have discovered a class of compounds that could be effective in combating infections caused by enterovirus D68, which has stricken children with serious respiratory infections and may be associated with polio-like symptoms.

The scientists used a method called X-ray crystallography to learn the precise structure of the original strain of EV-D68 on its own when bound to an anti-viral compound called "pleconaril." By learning its structure, scientists can focus on which drugs might be most effective in inhibiting infections.

A molecule called a "pocket factor" is located within a pocket of the virus's protective shell, called the capsid. When a virus binds to a human cell, the pocket factor is squeezed out of its pocket resulting in the destabilization of the virus particle, which then disintegrates and releases its genetic material to infect the cell and replicate itself.

"The need for an effective antiviral agent for treatment of EV-D68 infections was made apparent by the widespread and large numbers of EV-D68 infections (in 2014), many of which were associated with significant morbidity," said Mark McKinlay, director of the Center for Vaccine Equity at the Task Force for Global Health, in a news release. "The determination of the structure of EV-D68 reported here by Michael Rossman and his team represents an important step in this direction."

In fact, the researchers showed that the strain is inhibited by pleconaril at clinically achievable concentrations. That said, currently circulating strains are not susceptible to the antiviral compound. Even so, this study represents an important step when it comes to understanding the evolution of this virus and developing possible treatments.

The findings are published in the journal Science.

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