Researchers Are One Step Closer to Developing Drug Treatments for Enteroviruses 71

Enteroviruses are a specific group of viruses associated with typically mild infectious illnesses. Researchers from Duke University, Case Western Reserve University, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School discover a potential drug candidate to treat hand, foot, and mouth disease commonly caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71). The recent study was just published in the journal Nature Communications.

EV71 is particularly rampant in children from Southeast Asian countries where there is a lack of available vaccines or medication, noted by the authors. Up to date, there is no drug treatment or vaccine for the virus that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease include a rash and blisters. These are also accompanied by a fever, fatigue, a sore throat, and a lack of appetite.

Infection can be spread via throat or nose discharge, saliva, or touching contaminated surfaces and objects. Severe cases could result in brain inflammation or death.

RNA Structure of Enteroviruses 71

Previous studies have already identified the structure of the virus and how it invades the immune system. The team focused on a molecule called DMA-135 that binds to the RNA of EV71 and inhibits the virus from multiplying.

Isolating the particular molecule enabled the researchers to discovering promising drug treatments that specifically target the virus. Their findings can also be applied to develop drug treatments for other viral infections, shared the team.

Traditional anti-viral and antibacterial drugs bind to protein pathogens to inhibit multiplication in the system. However, only parts of the viral RNA are targeted by drug treatments.

Developing New Drug Treatments

Professor Amanda Hargrove from Duke University said, "For diseases that don't have good treatments, maybe the problem is we've been targeting the wrong thing." The team focused on molecules that target the viral RNA instead of specific proteins. For example, developing drug treatments and vaccines for coronavirus have scientists focused on its spike protein.

For EV71, a specific region in its RNA structure is what enables it to replicate inside a host. To block the region, the team screened almost 30 molecules to rule out one that would bind to the specific regions of the virus while leaving other parts of the RNA unaffected.

After discovering the molecule DMA-135, the team observed how it enters infected cells and blocks the surface. It then opens a way for a repressor protein to hinder the viral genetic code to grow and multiply.

Even with the new medical discovery, Hargrove shared that it may take up to five years for new drug treatment to become commercialized. The next step would be to conduct studies on mice models and a series of trials to confirm if the method is effective. For now, the team continues to look for other molecules that target the RNA of other viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

Check out more news and information on Enteroviruses on Science Times.