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William Zheng

A multinational research team has identified a gene inhibitor in bats that could have potential in the search for antiviral drugs to treat the pandemic disease Covid-19.
In a research paper published online on Monday, scientists from China, Singapore and the United States said carolacton, which inhibits a specific bat gene, could help suppress the infection of Sars-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
The joint paper was published on online archive bioRxiv by researchers from Tsinghua University, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as teams from Singapore’s Duke – NUS Medical School and Duke University.
The paper has not been peer reviewed.
Pangolins may not have passed coronavirus on to humans, Chinese scientists say
The team examined the gene functions of the black fruit bat and found that carolacton inhibited MTHFD1, a key gene in the production of purine, a critical element in viral replication in both bats and people.
The team said MTHFD1 could be a potential target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs.
“MTHFD1 knockdown blocks replication of multiple RNA viruses, including influenza virus, mumps virus, Melaka virus and Zika virus,” the paper said.
“Importantly, host cells have a higher tolerance for MTHFD1 inhibition than viruses, potentially providing a therapeutic window for targeting MTHFD1 with antiviral drugs.
“We tested the effect of carolacton on the infection of Sars-CoV-2 … [The result] supports a therapeutic window of this compound in potential clinical applications.”
The researchers said the development of an antiviral drug for Covid-19 would be similar to developing cancer drugs, because those drugs also targeted specific genes that cancer cells needed.
Bats have been identified as a reservoir of a number of deadly viruses in humans, including Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and Covid-19, which has infected more than 700,000 people, killing more than 34,000.

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Researchers target bat genes in quest for drug to combat Covid-19

Researchers have found that carolacton inhibits MTHFD1, a key gene in the production of purine, a critical element in viral replication in both bats and people. Photo: AFP

Ebola-like virus found in Chinese bats

Scientists have discovered a virus an Ebola-related virus with the potential to infect humans and animals in Chinese populations of Rousettus bats. Photo: AFP

Congolese and the World Health Organization officials wear protective suits as they prepare equipment before the launch of vaccination campaign against the deadly Ebola virus near Mangina village, near the town of Beni in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Samuel Mambo

Scientists debate whether Wuhan coronavirus came from bats or snakes amid joint US-China effort to develop vaccine

The first close-up images of the Wuhan coronavirus were released on Friday. Photo: Chinese Centre For Disease Control And Prevention

Airborne Ebola: new species of notorious virus is discovered in bats in Sierra Leone

People in Sierra Leone have been advised not to eat bats after the discovery of a new species of the Ebola virus in the winged mammals. Photo: Joe McDonald/Corbis

FILE PHOTO: Health workers carry the body of a suspected Ebola victim for burial at a cemetery in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 21, 2014. To match Special Report HEALTH-WHO/LEADER REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo

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A team from China, Singapore and the US says an inhibitor molecule called carolacton could have pharmaceutical potential
Gene-blocking compound might be able to stop replication of virus, scientists say



A team from China, Singapore and the US says an inhibitor molecule called carolacton could have pharmaceutical potential.
