A study published in Science Advances identifies a clinical candidate named GHP-88310 for diseases caused by orthoparamyxoviruses, a group that includes human parainfluenzaviruses and measles virus. The researchers used a large high-throughput drug screen to find and optimise an early lead.
GHP-88310 was characterised in rodent and non-rodent animal infection models and in human airway organoid cultures. Once-daily oral dosing showed broad activity against orthoparamyxoviruses, the compound was well tolerated at very high concentrations, and animal studies indicated a high barrier against viral escape from inhibition.
The primary clinical indication is human parainfluenzavirus type 3, which can cause life‑threatening pneumonia in older adults, immunocompromised people and adult hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Measles is a secondary indication given recent outbreaks in the US, Mexico and Canada. The work involved teams from several research centres and was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) at the NIH.
Difficult words
- clinical candidate — a drug or compound ready for human testing
- orthoparamyxovirus — a family of viruses including parainfluenza and measlesorthoparamyxoviruses
- high-throughput — a method that tests many samples quickly
- optimise — to make something better or more effective
- organoid — a small laboratory-grown structure like an organ
- tolerate — to accept a drug without serious side effectstolerated
- indication — a medical reason to use a drug or treatment
- immunocompromised — having a weaker immune system than normal
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Discussion questions
- How could a drug active against orthoparamyxoviruses help older adults and immunocompromised people?
- Why do you think the researchers used both animal models and human airway organoid cultures in this study?
- What important steps should come before testing this compound in human patients?
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