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  Protein that fights Zika virus identified

Protein that fights Zika virus identified

PTI
Published : Jun 6, 2016, 12:26 am IST
Updated : Jun 6, 2016, 12:26 am IST

Scientists found a very small protein in our body that can swallow up and quarantine the Zika virus, dramatically reducing its ability to infect cells, an advance that may lead to new therapies to fig

Scientists found a very small protein in our body that can swallow up and quarantine the Zika virus, dramatically reducing its ability to infect cells, an advance that may lead to new therapies to fight the infection linked to serious birth defects.

The interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3), in some cases, can also prevent Zika virus from killing our cells, researchers said.

The findings, from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), suggest that boosting the actions of IFITM3 may be useful for inhibiting Zika virus and other emerging viral infections.

“This work represents the first look at how our cells defend themselves against Zika virus’ attack,” said Abraham Brass, assistant professor at UMMS.

“Our results show that Zika virus has a weakness that we could potentially exploit to prevent or stop infection,” said Mr Brass.

Researchers developed a suite of genomic tools to probe how human cells respond to pathogens and how these invaders exploit host cell factors and proteins to replicate.

The mosquito-transmitted Zika virus typically causes relatively mild symptoms in infected adults.

Location: United States, Massachusetts, Boston