UCLA team heralds groundbreaking hep C drug discovery

A scientific team from UCLA is touting a groundbreaking discovery into the role two cellular proteins play in the development of hepatitis C. Heat shock factors 40 and 70 play a big role in infection, the researchers determined. And if new therapies targeted cellular proteins rather than viral proteins, developers could create significant new drugs for hep C.

The compound Quercetin blocks the synthesis of these proteins and appears to inhibit infection in tissue culture. "This is an important finding because we can block these proteins with the idea of reducing the level of the virus in people and, ideally, completely eliminate it," said study senior author Samuel French. The condition can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis. Some 270 million to 300 million people around the world suffer from hepatitis C.

"Because Quercetin targets cellular proteins rather than viral proteins, there is less likelihood of developing viral resistance," French said. "Cellular proteins cannot change like viral proteins can." A Phase I study has now been planned.

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