Influenza study: Meet virus' new enemy

Simon Fraser University virologist Masahiro Niikura and his doctoral student Nicole Bance are among an international group of scientists that has discovered a new class of molecular compounds capable of killing the influenza virus.Working on the premise that too much of a good thing can be a killer, the scientists have advanced previous researchers' methods of manipulating an enzyme that is key to how influenza replicates and spreads. Their new compounds will lead to a new generation of anti-influenza drugs that the virus' strains can't adapt to, and resist, as easily as they do Tamiful. It's an anti-influenza drug that is becoming less effective against the constantly mutating flu virus. These increasingly less adequate anti-influenza drugs are currently doctors' best weapons against influenza. They helped the world beat H1N1, swine flu, into submission four years ago. The journal Science Express has just published online the scientists' study, revealing how to use their newly discovered compounds to interrupt the enzyme neuraminidase's facilitation of influenza's spread. Tamiful and another anti-influenza drug, Relenza, focus on interrupting neuraminidase's ability to help influenza detach from an infected cell's surface by digesting sialic acid, a sugar on the surface of the cell. The flu virus uses the same sugar to stick to the cell while invading it. Once attached, influenza can invade the cell and replicate. This is where the newly discovered compounds come to the still-healthy cells' rescue. They clog up neuraminidase, stopping the enzyme from dissolving the sialic acid, which prevents the virus from escaping the infected cell and spreading. The new compounds are also more effective because they're water-soluble. "They reach the patient's throat where the flu virus is replicating after being taken orally," says Niikura, a Faculty of Health Sciences associate professor. "Influenza develops resistance to Replenza less frequently, but it's not the drug of choice like Tamiful because it's not water-soluble and has to be taken as a nasal spray. "Our new compounds are structurally more similar to sialic acid than Tamiful. We expect this closer match will make it much more difficult for influenza to adapt to new drugs." Ultimately, the new compounds will buy scientists more time to develop new vaccines for emerging strains of influenza that are resistant to existing vaccines. “The servicing settlement has contributed to a recovery in our housing market and has already exceeded our expectations,” said Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, during a call with reporters. He noted that authorities initially anticipated about $34 billion in assistance but now expect consumer relief to exceed $50 billion. The news arrives as the housing industry is reporting a sharp decline in seriously delinquent residential mortgages. Home loans that were 90 days or more past due fell to 7 percent in the fourth quarter, the lowest level since 2008, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Struggling homeowners are catching up on payments or benefiting from alternatives to foreclosure as the economy improves. According to the settlement report, short sales accounted for roughly 42 percent, or $20 billion, of the total relief the banks have extended to consumers. Loan modifications took up the second-largest portion of the funds, with about 241,149 borrowers receiving $18 billion in assistance. Although consumer groups praise this progress, many are disappointed that so much of the aid has come in the form of short sales. “It’s shameful,” said Kathleen Day, a spokeswoman for the Center for Responsible Lending. “A short sale is a kissing cousin to a foreclosure; it depresses property values and kicks people out of their homes. Haven’t the banks done enough damage?” Proponents of the settlement process, however, point out that the aggregate amount of money spent on all the other relief efforts, including forbearance and modifications, outweigh the amount spent on short sales. What’s more, the $11 billion in principal reductions far exceeds the $5.1 billion required under the agreement, said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a key player in the settlement talks. “A lot of homeowners are benefiting in many ways,” he said. Miller stressed that short sales are still a better alternative to foreclosure because “the homeowner doesn’t have the liability going forward, investors can get more money . . . and the housing market is stabilized.” The settlement was the culmination of more than 16 months of negotiations between lenders and a cadre of 49 state attorneys general and several federal agencies. It arose from allegations that lenders used forged and shoddy paperwork to quickly foreclose on struggling homeowners, a practice known as “robo-signing.” arabnews