Ebola and Marburg are among the most deadly viruses, with mortality rates from these infections ranging from 25% to 90%. While no drugs currently are available on the market to prevent infection from these viruses — they belong to a category of viruses called filoviruses, which are known to cause hemorrhagic fever — researchers have identified a few small drug molecules that can block filoviruses from infecting cells by occupying a single site on a glycoprotein in the virus.
Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a second site on the filovirus glycoprotein to which small drug molecules can bind and prevent infection. The researchers say that small drug molecules that block both glycoprotein sites may be more effective and reduce the risk of side effects.
