Japanese Researchers Make Progress
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Possible breakthrough on hepatitis C
The Asahi Shimbun
A Japanese research team said it has found a method that prevents the multiplication process of the virus for hepatitis C, a chronic disease that could lead to fatal disorders like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The method deals with cells infected with the virus, not the virus itself, meaning that drugs could be developed to stop the multiplication process while preventing the virus from becoming resistant.
It is still unknown how exactly the hepatitis-C virus (HCV) multiplies once inside human cells. But researchers know that once the virus enters the cell, it develops a platform for multiplication by combining itself with a certain lipid, an organic compound.
The team at Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., led by Masayuki Sudo, determined a point inside cells where the HCV combines itself with the lipid.
Without the platform, the HCV is unable to duplicate itself, the researchers said.
Using human liver cells, the team added a substance to the lipid that prevented it from combining with the HCV. Thus, the platform for multiplication could not synthesize, the researchers said.
“If we can target the mechanism of virus-infected cells, it could prompt the development of more effective drugs,” Sudo said.
The team’s report was to be published on the Web site of the U.S. science journal Nature Chemical Biology on Monday.
An estimated 1 million to 2 million are infected with hepatitis C in Japan.
“HCV is troublesome because of its many mutations,” said Takaji Wakita, a senior researcher at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience. “If we can target something that is contained in the cells, we may be able to come up with drugs that would prevent the virus from developing resistance. We need to make sure of the side effects, including the possibility that the treatment could affect other cells.”(IHT/Asahi: October 18,2005)
