Dengue treatment advances
A new dengue treatment that could become the first to prevent and treat the virus has proven effective in initial trials in monkeys, according to new research.
Dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes and affects tens of millions each year, producing brutal symptoms that have earned it the moniker "breakbone fever".
It is endemic in dozens of countries, but no treatment exists.
Two years ago, researchers published work showing a compound could effectively prevent the virus from replicating in cell cultures and mice by preventing the interaction between two proteins. Now the team has refined the compound and tested it in both mice and monkeys, with "very encouraging" results, said Van Loock, lead for emerging pathogens at the Janssen Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
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