Discovery of Key Protein IPO7 Offers New Hope for Treating Flavivirus Infections

Researchers identify IPO7 as crucial for flavivirus replication, opening pathways for targeted antiviral therapies.

Flaviviridae viruses cause severe diseases like dengue, Zika, and Japanese encephalitis, affecting millions globally.
Current treatments are limited to supportive care, highlighting the need for effective antiviral drugs and vaccines.
Recent study identifies IPO7 protein as essential for nuclear translocation of flavivirus core proteins, crucial for virus replication.
Blocking IPO7 could significantly reduce viral particle production, offering a new therapeutic target.
Researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to demonstrate that cells lacking IPO7 produced fewer viral particles despite similar viral loads.