Nano-decoy lures human influenza A virus to its doom
A fastidiously constructed spherical nanoparticle coated in sialic acid lures the influenza A virus to its doom. Credit score: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute To contaminate its victims, influenza A heads for the lungs, the place it latches onto sialic acid on the floor of cells. So researchers created the proper decoy: A fastidiously constructed spherical nanoparticle coated in sialic acid lures the influenza A virus to its doom. When misted into the lungs, the nanoparticle traps influenza A, holding it till the virus self-destructs. In a examine on immune-compromised mice, the therapy lowered influenza A mortality from 100 p.c to 25 p.c over 14 days. The novel strategy, which is radically totally different from current influenza A vaccines, and coverings primarily based on neuraminidase inhibitors, may very well be prolonged to a number of viruses that use an identical strategy to infecting people, corresponding to Zika, HIV, ...