Chinese team develops antiviral strategy that could change flu treatment

A research team from Nankai University has developed a new antiviral strategy that stops influenza viruses from replicating by triggering the destruction of their core components inside human cells. The method could fundamentally change how influenza is treated.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Influenza A viruses are known for their ability to mutate rapidly, allowing them to evade the immune system and existing antiviral drugs. Most current treatments work by targeting a single viral protein, which can quickly become ineffective when the virus mutates, posing ongoing risks to global public health.

The team, led by Liu Shulin, a professor from the university's School of Chemistry, took a different approach. They developed a molecule that can enter infected cells, recognize key viral proteins, and direct the host cell to break them down, effectively halting viral replication.

Laboratory experiments showed that the method suppressed viral activity for more than 48 hours, a longer and more sustained effect than that of conventional antiviral drugs.

More importantly, this therapeutic approach establishes a protective barrier within the human body by degrading multiple viral proteins. This mechanism prevents viral escape, making it harder for viruses to mutate and reducing drug resistance risks.

Further testing confirmed the strategy's effectiveness against multiple influenza strains, opening the possibility that it could represent a paradigm shift that lays the groundwork for next-generation antivirals.

Zang Yifan contributed to this story.