rationalskepticism.org

FEBRUARY 12, 2020
Researchers identify new 'universal' target for antiviral treatment
by Massachusetts General Hospital


Credit: CC0 Public Domain
As the coronavirus outbreak shows, viruses are a constant threat to humanity. Vaccines are regularly developed and deployed against specific viruses, but that process takes a lot of time, doesn't help everyone who needs protection, and still leaves people exposed to new outbreaks and new viruses.

Now, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have uncovered a novel potential antiviral drug target that could lead to treatments protecting against a host of infectious diseases—creating a pan, or universal, treatment. Their work suggests that the protein Argonaute 4 (AGO4) is an "Achilles heel" for viruses.