Alios: One for all

Rather than targeting viral proteins, Alios BioPharma Inc. is using three platform technologies to develop antivirals that target the human immune system. The company believes its compounds will thus have broad-spectrum activity and be less vulnerable to viral resistance than other antiviral approaches.

Its lead programs are based upon RNase L technology, which has allowed Alios to solve problems previously encountered by efforts to develop ligands for the enzyme, including poor stability or inability to penetrate cell membranes...