In 2012, a 60-year-old man with flu-like symptoms died in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first victim of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS.
Until now, there has been no vaccine or known treatment. That could change thanks to a new anti-viral tool, developed by University of Toronto researchers.
In 2012, a 60-year-old man with flu-like symptoms died in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first victim of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or MERS.
Until now, there has been no vaccine or known treatment. That could change thanks to a new anti-viral tool, developed by University of Toronto researchers.
Scientists have crafted a custom-engineered protein that can be used to treat MERS and a wide range of pathogens, a potential game-changer in anti-viral therapeutics for both humans and the farming industry.
Writing in the journal PLOS Pathogens, a team led by Professor Sachdev Sidhu of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and department of molecular genetics, describes how to turn ubiquitin, a staple protein in every cell, into a drug capable of thwarting MERS in cultured human cells.
Continue reading at University of Toronto.
Photo via University of Toronto.
