A drug designed for one virus can stop others by jamming their genetic copy machines
The antiviral drug bemnifosbuvir inhibits the hepatitis E virus by targeting its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, successfully jamming the replication machinery of a pathogen that currently lacks any approved clinical treatment.
Bemnifosbuvir, a drug originally engineered to combat hepatitis C, effectively halts the replication of the hepatitis E virus by disrupting its genetic copy machine. Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum found that the compound targets the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, the essential enzyme the virus uses to duplicate its genetic material. By binding to this specific site, the drug prevents the virus from reproducing without damaging the host's healthy tissue.
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