Hong Kong scientists find potential new antiviral

Broad-spectrum antivirals are seen as the holy grail because they can be used against multiple pathogens, like those seen in the petri dishes here. — AFP

Hong Kong scientists claim they have made a potential breakthrough discovery in the fight against infectious diseases – a chemical that could slow the spread of deadly viral illnesses.

A team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) described the newly-discovered chemical as “highly potent in interrupting the life cycle of diverse viruses” in a study published in January 2019 in the journal Nature Communi-cations.