Influenza is a viral infection that is constantly changing. It has not been discovered yet the exact way that viral infections like these are becoming drug resistant without waiting for new and untreatable strains arise. Using a novel genetic screen, researchers at the University of California have mapped out the resistance options of influenza's M2 channel against its anti-viral medication inhibitors. This allows the clinically known resistant mutations to be identified without contamination from outside sources. This led to novel mutations that were known to exist in viruses but not to be drug resistant. The same methods were used against a drug that has not been put out on the market yet for clinical use. This enabled the researchers to identify more new resistance mutations. This research will allow new antiviral agents to be tested to predict the resistance options before clinical use.
Read more at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022283616303023
This sounds like very promising research and sounds like it will definitely help for the everchanging world of viruses like influenza, which can be especially detrimental for the young and elderly.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to determine which drugs a virus is going to be resistant to is huge. This would mean a change in antivirals could be done before the virus has a chance to mutate, and could be applied to multiple viruses.
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