Pushing the viral envelope

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have identified small molecules that exploit the inability of a virus to repair its envelope.The compounds, whichtarget the lipid component of the envelope and irreversibly block a virus' ability to enter the host cell, could represent a new class of broad-spectrum antivirals.¹

The viral envelope is found in many types of viruses including influenza, HIV and HCV, and it helps the virus fuse with and infect host cells. Those viruses use lipids from the host cell plasma membrane to build their envelopes. However, viruses can neither repair their envelopes nor synthesize lipids on their own. Mammalian cells, on the other hand, can rapidly replenish and repair damage to the lipid component of their membranes...