Washington, Nov 7: A study conducted by researchers at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases and the Genome Institute of Singapore has identified new host genes, which are associated with dengue virus infection that might open new avenues for treatment of the disease.

Dr Subhash Vasudevan and Dr. Martin Hibberd’s team tried to identify the ways in which humans interacted with dengue virus during infection in order to discover new treatment targets that could be exploited to control viral replication, by using micro array technology to monitor the response of virtually every human gene.

From the activated genes, the team identified three pathways common to in vitro and in vivo infection; the NF-kappaB initiated immune pathway, the type I interferon pathway, and the ubiquitin proteasome pathway.

In the study, the researchers found that inhibiting the ubiquitin proteasome pathway, or activating the type I interferon pathway, resulted in significant inhibition of viral replication whereas inhibiting the NF-kappaB initiated immune pathway had no effect on viral replication.

The finding suggested that drugs, which targeted the host pathways, might prove effective against dengue. (ANI)