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New research suggests that certain cancer drugs may control the lethal Ebola virus. On February29, a new study investigating the effects of two leukemia drugs on Ebola virus replication was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The drugs, nolitinib and imatinib, sold by Novartis and marketed as Tasigna and Gleevec, are two types of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase is an enzyme essential for the Ebola virus’ ability to replicate and spread throughout the body. The enzyme transports phosphates onto amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This in turn affects the entire protein’s shape and function. The inhibitor impedes the transport of these phosphates, thereby halting the protein’s activity.
These drugs halt cancerous tumors in the same way. They prevent tyrosine kinase from completing the critical step of cell reproduction. By preventing reproduction, the drugs actually promote apoptosis (regulated cell death) and may ultimately halt tumor growth and potentially reduce tumor size.
This discovery on the Ebola virus is profound. A virus is a parasite, which means that it requires a host cell to replicate and reproduce its genes. By stopping the viral transport protein VP40 from releasing viral particles, the virus cannot spread through the body to infect new cells. In order words, new copies of the virus are contained within their host cells. This provides the body’s immune system with enough time to control the infection before it spreads and becomes fatal.
.Dear Dr.abed el-rahman el-tahat
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