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Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Researchers say they have identified compounds that might be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce the ability of the virus to kill brain cells.
The compounds include emricasan (a drug being investigated as a treatment to reduce liver damage from hepatitis C virus), niclosamide (a drug approved in the US to combat parasitic infections), and an investigational cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor known as PHA-690509.
The researchers described the anti-Zika activity of these compounds in Nature Medicine.
About the virus
The Zika virus has been reported in 60 countries and territories worldwide. Currently, there are no vaccines or effective treatments for the virus.
Research and anecdotal evidence have suggested infection with the Zika virus is related to fetal microcephaly, an abnormally small head resulting from an underdeveloped and/or damaged brain. The virus has also been linked with neurological diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected adults.
The Zika virus is spread primarily through bites from infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but it can also be transmitted from mother to child, through sexual contact, via blood transfusion, and possibly through other methods.
“The Zika virus poses a global health threat,” said study author Anton Simeonov, PhD, of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
“While we await the development of effective vaccines, which can take a significant amount of time, our identification of repurposed small-molecule compounds may accelerate the translational process of finding a potential therapy.”
“It takes years, if not decades, to develop a new drug,” noted study author Hongjun Song, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. “In this sort of global health emergency, we don’t have that kind of time.”
“So instead of using new drugs, we chose to screen existing drugs,” added Guo-li Ming, MD, PhD, also of Johns Hopkins. “In this way, we hope to create a therapy much more quickly.”
Identifying potential treatments
The researchers screened 6000 compounds, both investigational and approved (in the US), looking for drugs that might be effective against the Zika virus.
The team first exposed cell cultures to 3 strains of the virus—Ugandan, Cambodian, and Puerto Rican. Then, they introduced the various compounds and looked for indicators of cell death.
The researchers identified more than 100 promising compounds. The 3 lead compounds were emricasan, niclosamide, and PHA-690509.
These compounds were effective either in inhibiting the replication of Zika or in preventing the virus from killing brain cells. Emricasan prevents cell death, while niclosamide and PHA-690509 stop virus replication.
The researchers found that combining emricasan and PHA-690509 prevented both cell death and virus replication.
Dr Song cautioned that the 3 drugs “are very effective against Zika in the dish, but we don’t know if they can work in humans in the same way.”
For example, he noted that, although niclosamide can safely treat parasites in the human gastrointestinal tract, researchers have not yet determined if the drug can penetrate the central nervous system of adults or a fetus inside a carrier’s womb to treat the brain cells targeted by Zika.
Furthermore, it’s not clear if the drugs would address the wide range of effects of Zika infection.
“To address these questions, additional studies need to be done in animal models as well as humans to demonstrate their ability to treat Zika infection,” Dr Ming said. “So we could still be years away from finding a treatment that works.” 
Photo courtesy of
Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Researchers say they have identified compounds that might be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce the ability of the virus to kill brain cells.
The compounds include emricasan (a drug being investigated as a treatment to reduce liver damage from hepatitis C virus), niclosamide (a drug approved in the US to combat parasitic infections), and an investigational cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor known as PHA-690509.
The researchers described the anti-Zika activity of these compounds in Nature Medicine.
About the virus
The Zika virus has been reported in 60 countries and territories worldwide. Currently, there are no vaccines or effective treatments for the virus.
Research and anecdotal evidence have suggested infection with the Zika virus is related to fetal microcephaly, an abnormally small head resulting from an underdeveloped and/or damaged brain. The virus has also been linked with neurological diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected adults.
The Zika virus is spread primarily through bites from infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but it can also be transmitted from mother to child, through sexual contact, via blood transfusion, and possibly through other methods.
“The Zika virus poses a global health threat,” said study author Anton Simeonov, PhD, of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
“While we await the development of effective vaccines, which can take a significant amount of time, our identification of repurposed small-molecule compounds may accelerate the translational process of finding a potential therapy.”
“It takes years, if not decades, to develop a new drug,” noted study author Hongjun Song, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. “In this sort of global health emergency, we don’t have that kind of time.”
“So instead of using new drugs, we chose to screen existing drugs,” added Guo-li Ming, MD, PhD, also of Johns Hopkins. “In this way, we hope to create a therapy much more quickly.”
Identifying potential treatments
The researchers screened 6000 compounds, both investigational and approved (in the US), looking for drugs that might be effective against the Zika virus.
The team first exposed cell cultures to 3 strains of the virus—Ugandan, Cambodian, and Puerto Rican. Then, they introduced the various compounds and looked for indicators of cell death.
The researchers identified more than 100 promising compounds. The 3 lead compounds were emricasan, niclosamide, and PHA-690509.
These compounds were effective either in inhibiting the replication of Zika or in preventing the virus from killing brain cells. Emricasan prevents cell death, while niclosamide and PHA-690509 stop virus replication.
The researchers found that combining emricasan and PHA-690509 prevented both cell death and virus replication.
Dr Song cautioned that the 3 drugs “are very effective against Zika in the dish, but we don’t know if they can work in humans in the same way.”
For example, he noted that, although niclosamide can safely treat parasites in the human gastrointestinal tract, researchers have not yet determined if the drug can penetrate the central nervous system of adults or a fetus inside a carrier’s womb to treat the brain cells targeted by Zika.
Furthermore, it’s not clear if the drugs would address the wide range of effects of Zika infection.
“To address these questions, additional studies need to be done in animal models as well as humans to demonstrate their ability to treat Zika infection,” Dr Ming said. “So we could still be years away from finding a treatment that works.”
Photo courtesy of
Muhammad Mahdi Karim
Researchers say they have identified compounds that might be used to inhibit Zika virus replication and reduce the ability of the virus to kill brain cells.
The compounds include emricasan (a drug being investigated as a treatment to reduce liver damage from hepatitis C virus), niclosamide (a drug approved in the US to combat parasitic infections), and an investigational cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor known as PHA-690509.
The researchers described the anti-Zika activity of these compounds in Nature Medicine.
About the virus
The Zika virus has been reported in 60 countries and territories worldwide. Currently, there are no vaccines or effective treatments for the virus.
Research and anecdotal evidence have suggested infection with the Zika virus is related to fetal microcephaly, an abnormally small head resulting from an underdeveloped and/or damaged brain. The virus has also been linked with neurological diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome in infected adults.
The Zika virus is spread primarily through bites from infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but it can also be transmitted from mother to child, through sexual contact, via blood transfusion, and possibly through other methods.
“The Zika virus poses a global health threat,” said study author Anton Simeonov, PhD, of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
“While we await the development of effective vaccines, which can take a significant amount of time, our identification of repurposed small-molecule compounds may accelerate the translational process of finding a potential therapy.”
“It takes years, if not decades, to develop a new drug,” noted study author Hongjun Song, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. “In this sort of global health emergency, we don’t have that kind of time.”
“So instead of using new drugs, we chose to screen existing drugs,” added Guo-li Ming, MD, PhD, also of Johns Hopkins. “In this way, we hope to create a therapy much more quickly.”
Identifying potential treatments
The researchers screened 6000 compounds, both investigational and approved (in the US), looking for drugs that might be effective against the Zika virus.
The team first exposed cell cultures to 3 strains of the virus—Ugandan, Cambodian, and Puerto Rican. Then, they introduced the various compounds and looked for indicators of cell death.
The researchers identified more than 100 promising compounds. The 3 lead compounds were emricasan, niclosamide, and PHA-690509.
These compounds were effective either in inhibiting the replication of Zika or in preventing the virus from killing brain cells. Emricasan prevents cell death, while niclosamide and PHA-690509 stop virus replication.
The researchers found that combining emricasan and PHA-690509 prevented both cell death and virus replication.
Dr Song cautioned that the 3 drugs “are very effective against Zika in the dish, but we don’t know if they can work in humans in the same way.”
For example, he noted that, although niclosamide can safely treat parasites in the human gastrointestinal tract, researchers have not yet determined if the drug can penetrate the central nervous system of adults or a fetus inside a carrier’s womb to treat the brain cells targeted by Zika.
Furthermore, it’s not clear if the drugs would address the wide range of effects of Zika infection.
“To address these questions, additional studies need to be done in animal models as well as humans to demonstrate their ability to treat Zika infection,” Dr Ming said. “So we could still be years away from finding a treatment that works.”