U.S. researchers said that they have identified key molecules that inhibit viral production in a study that might lead to new treatments for hepatitis C, according to UPI. The research, led by Professor Donny Strosberg of the Scripps Institute in Jupiter, Fla., describes peptides (molecules of two or more amino acids) derived from the core protein of hepatitis C. The team found the peptides inhibit not only chemical reaction of the core protein -- the joining of two identical subunits -- but also production of the actual virus. "We went for the simplest solution, taking a peptide from core to see if we could block the interaction," Strosberg said. "And it did." The study is to be published by the Journal of General Virology and is available in the journal's March 4 pre-print online edition.
