Can We Outsmart Viruses by Targeting Their Shared Weakness?

In this episode, we take a microscopic look at how some of the most dangerous RNA viruses, like COVID-19, Ebola, RSV, and the flu, hijack our cells to replicate. Discover the science behind viral reproduction and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, the specialized machinery these viruses rely on. We’ll also explore how new antiviral treatments based on Remdesivir are being developed to target this shared vulnerability, offering hope for fighting multiple viruses with a single strategy. Join us for a fascinating dive into the microscopic world of viruses and cutting-edge medical research.Participate in clinical research!www.ENCOREdocs.comShare with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the ENCORE Research Group podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence podcast. www.MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!References:Amarasinghe, G. K., Aréchiga Ceballos, N. G., Banyard, A. C., Basler, C. F., Bavari, S., Bennett, A. J., ... & Kuhn, J. H. (2018). Taxonomy of the order Mononegavirales: update 2018. Archives of virology, 163, 2283-2294. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6076851/Fearns, R., & Deval, J. (2016). New antiviral approaches for respiratory syncytial virus and other mononegaviruses: Inhibiting the RNA polymerase. Antiviral research, 134, 63-76. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354216303527Gordon, C. J., Tchesnokov, E. P., Woolner, E., Perry, J. K., Feng, J. Y., Porter, D. P., & Götte, M. (2020). Remdesivir is a direct-acting antiviral that inhibits RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with high potency. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 295(20), 6785-6797. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7242698/International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses Executive Committee. (2020). The new scope of virus taxonomy: partitioning the virosphere into 15 hierarchical ranks. Nature Microbiology, 5, 668–674. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-0709-xJiang, Y., Yin, W., & Xu, H. E. (2021). RNA-dependent RNA polymerase: Structure, mechanism, and drug discovery for COVID-19. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 538, 47-53. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7473028/Yan, V. C., & Muller, F. L. (2020). Advantages of the parent nucleoside GS-441524 over remdesivir for Covid-19 treatment. ACS medicinal chemistry letters, 11(7), 1361-1366.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7315846/Xie, J., & Wang, Z. (2021). Can remdesivir and its parent nucleoside GS-441524 be potential oral drugs? An in vitro and in vivo DMPK assessment. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, 11(6), 1607-1616. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8245906/Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released.Follow us on Social Media:FacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInTiktokYoutubeFor more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.comThank you for listening!