New antiviral treatment made from sugar

> We show that the resulting macromolecules are broad-spectrum, biocompatible, and virucidal at micromolar concentrations in vitro against many viruses [including herpes simplex virus (HSV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), dengue virus, and Zika virus].

I wonder if they meant “in vivo”.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/05/friendly-viruses-pro...

> Bacteria can be friends and foes—causing infection and disease, but also helping us slim down and even combating acne. Now, a new study reveals that viruses have a dual nature as well. For the first time, researchers have shown that they can help our bodies fight off invading microbes.

Evolutionarily, the adaptive immune system itself is the result of viral integration.

Though not a commensal relationship, priming the immune system for healthy function, principally for stopping cancer, see high incidence of leukaemia in children not exposed to pathogens (this might be pathogens more generally, it been a while since I took immunology but the immune system, treats cancer much more like viruses than it does bacteria (n.b. broad overgeneralisation)).

See also the use of phage to attack bacterial infections.

There may be viruses and funghi operating in the same way beneficial (even critical) bacteria do. But, because research into and understanding of the microbiome is still comparatively in its infancy, we may be unaware. IIRC, my professor mentioned that the current ways we examine microbiome may favor the understanding of the components which are amenable to testing (meaning, we take a stool sample which shows use the bacteria living in the lower intestine well, but other components like other bacteria/viruses/funghi living further up the digestive tract we can't understand/sample well).

I had an idea like what if you could have a time release pill that opened up, sampled, and closed various compartments at various times throughout the tract. idk if it's doable or if that idea is unoriginal, but I think it'd be informative to have.

It sounds like this is a similar idea to a mis-folded protein, where the shape of the molecules is what is deadly to viruses.

It almost doesn't matter what the molecules are made of, as long as they have the shape to disrupt viruses. Sugar was probably chosen because it's non toxic to humans in most cases, and because it could form the needed shape.

This in contrast seems to be membrane disruption, i.e. bursting and disintegration of the viral membrane, which is host derived and thus the virus has no control over apart from any proteins it add to it (e.g. gp120 for HIV) and is therefore much.

*that isn't aiding the immune system in some way

N.B I haven't finished reading the paper yet. so take it with a grain of salt.

Also, patents expire after only 21 years. They have patented this molecule now, but they haven't actually got a treatment as yet, meaning that the clock is ticking.

I don't know if you can copyright a molecule?

"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"

Even with the urgency of an ongoing epidemic, there's a lot of work to turn this into a supplyable treatment.