Drug resistance of viruses and bacteria is becoming an increasing problem in medicine. Based on the coronavirus, Tyrolean researchers led by virologist Dorothee von Laer have now developed a model to predict resistance.
Sooner or later, pathogens become immune to certain drugs. The coronavirus is no exception. Researchers led by the virologist Dorothee von Laer, who became known throughout Austria during the Corona period, and PhD candidate Emmanuel Heilmann from the Institute of Virology at the Medical University of Innsbruck have developed a model to predict resistance.
Harmless surrogate viruses for the prediction model
The researchers took a closer look at the corona drug Paxlovid. And they use harmless surrogate viruses to monitor responses. Because it would be dangerous to deal with the real coronavirus. “There is a risk of dangerous viruses escaping from the lab,” explains Heilmann.
In the case of the surrogate virus, the component that causes the virus to multiply is inhibited. The researchers can also use the surrogate viruses to predict virus developments. “A model like this, with which resistance tests can be performed under relatively safe conditions, did not exist before the coronavirus,” Von Laer emphasizes the importance of the model.
Source: Krone
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