Prevention or Treatment of Viral Infections by Inhibition of the Histone Methyltransferases EZH1/2 | Office of Technology Transfer, NIH

Prevention or Treatment of Viral Infections by Inhibition of the Histone Methyltransferases EZH1/2 | Office of Technology Transfer, NIH

 Vaccine and Drug Development Opportunity:

Treatment and Prevention of Viral Infections by Inhibition of the Histone Methyltransferases

The spread of herpes simplex virus infection (green) is suppressed in cells treated with EZH2/1 inhibitors. Photo credit: NIH





Herpes simplex viral infections are common worldwide and can produce many recurrent diseases, including oral and genital lesions, herpetic keratitis/blindness, congenital-developmental syndromes, and viral encephalitis. DNA replication inhibitors are typically used to treat herpesvirus infections, but these compounds are not always effective in suppressing infection, viral shedding, reactivation from latency, and the inflammation that contributes to diseases such as keratitis. By inhibiting histone methyltransferases, NIAID investigators have created a method for treatment or prevention of herpes simplex virus and other viral infections. Read more about this exciting collaboration opportunity: https://www.ott.nih.gov/technology/e-141-2015.