Shaw, J. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2018

Chelation therapy using static magnetic field

Static magnetic field (SMF) is reported to mimic chelation agents. In thalassemia blood, SMF minimizes iron overloading effect. In such cells ROS level is reduced, in presence of moderate strength (70mT). Pilot study on transfusion dependent thalassemia, thalassemia carriers and normal red blood clearly indicate the differential effects of SMF on thalassemia, thalassemia carrier and normal cells. SMF also reduces ROS induced DNA damage in lymphocytes. A comparative study on the iron chelating drug deferasirox and SMF treated lymphocytes further confirm our main thesis. This non-invasive therapeutic regime for hemochromatosis may serve the dual purpose of treating, iron overloading and minimizing, cellular damage by lowering the ROS level.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Targeting hepatitis C virus p7 channel activity reveals prospect for bimodal antiviral prophylaxis

Since the 1960s, a single class of agent has been licensed targeting virus-encoded ion channels, or \"viroporins\", contrasting the success of channel blocking drugs in other areas of medicine. Although resistance arose to these prototypic adamantane inhibitors of the influenza A virus (IAV) M2 proton channel, a growing number of clinically and economically important viruses are now recognised to encode essential viroporins providing potential targets for modern drug discovery.\n\nWe describe the first rationally designed viroporin inhibitor with a comprehensive structure-activity relationship (SAR). This step-change in understanding not only revealed a second biological function for the p7 viroporin from hepatitis C virus (HCV) during virus entry, but also enabled the synthesis of a labelled tool compound that retained biological activity. Hence, p7 inhibitors (p7i) represent a unique class of HCV antiviral targeting both the spread and establishment of infection, as well as a precedent for future viroporin-targeted drug discovery.

microbiology↗