Natural epidemics and outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases are a growing problem internationally. RNA viruses cause a variety of diseases to humans ranging from neurological conditions, caused by Zika virus, to hemorrhagic fevers caused by Ebola virus as well as respiratory illnesses caused by Influenza viruses. At present, there is no effective cure available and new approaches for targeting these highly pathogenic RNA viruses are needed.
To develop new antiviral compounds targeting these pathogens, a multidisciplinary project between the Helleday Laboratory at Karolinska Institutet and the Public Health Agency of Sweden, with one of few BSL-4 facilities in Europe, was initiated with the aim to provide new treatments for virus infected patients. In the scope of this ERC Proof-of-Concept grant, we have further profiled our in-house antiviral compounds and progressed towards in vivo proof-of-concept studies.
