Nanoparticle antiviral technology inhibits RSV infection

January 20, 2005 | Source: KurzweilAI

University of South Florida College of Medicine researchers found that an antiviral treatment combining nanoparticle and gene silencing technologies thwarts attacks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — a virus associated with severe bronchitis and asthma.

The researchers developed nose drops containing vectors capable of producing small fragments of RNA (siRNA). These fragments were encapsulated within chitosan nanoparticles — biodegradable particles that stick to mucous-producing cells lining the lungs. The RNA was designed to suppress the protein NS1: without NS1, the host antiviral defense remains intact and the virus cannot reproduce.

University of South Florida news release