Respiratory Viruses

We are using our structure-based drug discovery platform to discover pan-viral inhibitors for respiratory viruses such as enterovirus and rhinovirus. 

Enterovirus

Non-polio enteroviruses cause about 10-15 million infections and tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year in the U.S.  Most people who get infected with these viruses do not get sick or have mild illness like the common cold; however, even those infected who do not have symptoms can still spread the virus to other people. This makes it is difficult to prevent non-polio enteroviruses from spreading.  

Some people may have serious complications, especially infants and people with weakened immune systems.  More serious enterovirus infections can cause viral conjunctivitis, hand, foot, and mouth disease, viral meningitis, viral encephalitis, myocarditis, pericarditis acute flaccid paralysis and inflammatory muscle disease.  

More information about enteroviruses, please visit the information page on the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) website.     

Rhinovirus 

Rhinoviruses are the most frequent cause of the common cold.  In the U.S., children have on average two rhinovirus infections and adults have on average one per year. Most rhinovirus infections are mild and can include symptoms such as cough, sneeze, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, headache and body ache.  Rhinoviruses can cause severe illness, especially in people with weakened immune systems, asthma, or other underlying medical conditions.  More severe illness can include asthma exacerbations, bronchioliti middle ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia. These symptoms can mirror other respiratory infections.

Rhinoviruses are spread through respiratory droplets that are released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can enter another person’s body if they breathe them in, or if they touch a surface contaminated with the virus and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. Rhinoviruses can also be spread through close personal contact with an infected person, such as shaking hands or hugging.

For more information about rhinovirus, please visit the information page on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.