Ramaswamy Narayanan, Ph.D., professor in the Charles E.
Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University, is working to blend
the power of computers with biology to use the human genome to remove much of
the guesswork involved in discovering cures for diseases.
In an article titled "Ebola-Associated Genes in the
Human Genome: Implications for Novel Targets," published in the current
MedCrave Online Journal of Proteomics and Bioinformatics, Narayanan describes
how key genes that are present in our cells could be used to develop drugs for
this disease.
"Bioinformatics is a powerful tool to help us
understand biological data," said Narayanan whose research has focused in
this field for more than a decade. "We are mining the human genome for
Ebola virus association to develop an understanding of the human proteins
involved in this disease for subsequent research and development, and to
potentially create a pipeline of targets that we can test and evaluate."
Ebola virus disease is a major healthcare challenge facing
the globe today and if left unchecked could become a pandemic. A limited
knowledgebase exists about the Ebola virus and companies are hastening to
develop vaccines and other forms to treat and cure the virus. There are no
FDA-approved drugs, and developing vaccines or antibodies and testing them in
clinical trials is an arduous process that takes considerable time. Currently,
patients infected with Ebola are only able to receive supportive care such as
fluid replacement, nutritional support, pain control, and blood pressure
maintenance. In some cases, patients may be fortunate enough to be treated with
experimental drugs.
Narayanan's work has helped to identify numerous
FDA-approved drugs already used for many other diseases including
anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants, cancer, HIV, statins and hormones,
which could potentially be used to add to the current supportive care for
patients with the Ebola virus.
"With the high mortality rate of this disease, the
world urgently needs new ways to treat patients," said Narayanan.
"The ability to use drugs that are already approved by the FDA could
provide clinicians with more options to treat Ebola patients, rather than just
relying on supportive measures like fluid replacement or antibiotics."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola
virus disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. The virus is transmitted
to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through
human-to-human transmissions. The evolving knowledge of this disease is
prompting appropriate attention locally and globally. The 2014 Ebola epidemic
has affected multiple countries in West Africa with some cases observed in
Europe and the United States.
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141218090925.htm
