Targeting a metabolic pathway to fight the flu

Targeting cell signalling pathways to fight the flu: towards a paradigm change in anti-influenza therapy.

Influenza is still one of the major plagues worldwide with the potential to cause pandemics. The increasing frequency of viral resistance to the four US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-influenza virus drugs underlines the urgent need for novel antivirals to be prepared for future influenza epidemics or pandemics. While the antivirals currently in use exclusively target viral fa...

Targeting Misfolded Proteins to Fight Neurodegenerative Diseases

With the assistance of proteins called chaperones, newly translated proteins fold into the three-dimensional shapes that are critical to their function. When proteins fold abnormally or become unstable, the consequences can be dire for cells, particularly neurons, which are exquisitely sensitive to the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Many neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s and Cre...

Targeting Dormant Bacilli to Fight Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which kills about 2 million people annually. Furthermore, 2 billion people worldwide are latently infected with this organism, with 10% of them reactivating to active TB due to re-growth of nonreplicating (dormant) Mtb residing in their tissues. Because of the huge reservoir of latent TB it is important to fi...

Targeting Cholesterol Homeostasis to Fight Hearing Loss: A New Perspective

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a major pathology of the inner ear that affects nearly 600 million people worldwide. Despite intensive researches, this major health problem remains without satisfactory solutions. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in SNHL include oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, inflammation, and ischemia, resulting in synaptic loss, axonal degeneration, and apopt...

Fight Colds, Flu and Other Infections with AHCC