NIAID resources for developing new therapies for severe viral infections.
Severe viral infections, including hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis, occur throughout the world, but are most prevalent in developing areas that are most vulnerable to infectious diseases. Some of these can also infect related species as illustrated by the threatened extinction of gorillas by Ebola infection in west and central Africa. There are no safe and effective treatments available for these serious infections. In addition to the logistical difficulties inherent in developing a drug for infections that are sporadic and occur mainly in the third world, there is the overwhelming barrier of no hope for return on investment to encourage the pharmaceutical industry to address these unmet medical needs. Therefore, the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Disease (NIAID) has developed and supported a variety of programs and resources to provide assistance and lower the barrier for those who undertake these difficult challenges. The primary programs relevant to the development of therapies for severe viral infections are described and three case studies illustrate how they have been used. In addition, contact information for accessing these resources is supplied.
Greenstone
Heather
H
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
Spinelli
Beth
B
Tseng
Christopher
C
Peacock
Susan
S
Taylor
Katherine
K
Laughlin
Catherine
C
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D006224:Cricetinae; D004285:Dogs; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D054579:National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.); D017149:Private Sector; D016730:Program Development; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014481:United States; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
D000998:Antiviral Agents