AsianScientist (Aug. 6, 2011) – Australian and German researchers have developed a technique to stop viruses and bacteria from entering cells, and they report their findings in the latest issue of Cell. This research paves the way for new drugs to treat infectious disease, cancer, and neurological disorders.
The University of Newcastle’s Center for Chemical Biology director, Professor Adam McCluskey, and the team of researchers have created two molecular compounds that inhibit the function of the protein clathrin. Clathrin is responsible for the human body taking in ‘signaling molecules’, which stimulate cell growth and division, and spread infections.
According to McCluskey, clathrin is used by 70 percent of all viruses as a means for cellular entry.
“This research opens up new approaches to treat conditions such as cancer and viruses including hepatitis C, Ebola, and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).”
“Cancers such as brain tumors rely on these signalling molecules to divide cells and grow. Without the signalling molecules, the virus cannot enter cells, hijack them and spread infectious disease through the body,” he said.
The team’s research is a breakthrough for the treatment of medical conditions that rely on infectious cells dividing and multiplying through the body, as well as some neurological disorders.
They are now looking at ways to refine the two molecular compounds and develop drugs that are safe for human use.
“A person diagnosed with an infectious illness could take a drug blocking clathrin and stop the illness from spreading,” McCluskey said. “The infected cell would then die.”
The article can be found at: von Kleist L et al. (2011) Role of the Clathrin Terminal Domain in Regulating Coated Pit Dynamics Revealed by Small Molecule Inhibition.
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Source: The University of Newcastle.
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