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Molecule stops MERS spread among cultured human cells

A protein fragment has been developed to block the MERS virus (yellow) from entering human cells.

NIAID

By Ashley Yeager

A lab-developed protein fragment has stopped the spread of the MERS virus among cultured human cells.

MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome, is a viral respiratory illness that has infected 180 people, killing 77.

The newly developed molecule interacts with the protein that the MERS virus uses to enter a host cell, researchers report January 28 in Nature Communications. Whether the molecule can effectively block the spread of MERS in animals and humans is not yet clear.

About Ashley Yeager

Ashley Yeager is the associate news editor at Science News. She has worked at The Scientist, the Simons Foundation, Duke University and the W.M. Keck Observatory, and was the web producer for Science News from 2013 to 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a master’s degree in science writing from MIT.

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