A compound initially isolated from sharks shows potential as a
unique broad-spectrum human antiviral agent, according to a
study led by a Georgetown University Medical Center investigator
and reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences Early Edition online September 19. The compound,
squalamine, has been in human clinical trials for the treatment
of cancer and several eye disorders, and so has a well-known
safety profile, suggesting it can be quickly tested as a new
class of drugs to treat infections caused by viruses ranging
from dengue and yellow fever to hepatitis B, C, and D. In both
lab and animal experiments, the compound effectively
demonstrated antiviral activity against these human pathogens,
some of which cannot now be effectively treated. "To realize
that squalamine potentially has broad antiviral properties is
immensely exciting, especially since we already know so much
from ongoing studies about its behavior in people," says the
study's lead investigator, Michael Zasloff, M.D.