IBM's Macromolecule May Kill Ebola, Influenza, And Other Deadly Viruses

Viruses like Ebola, Zika, or even flu have been causing problems around the world. And finding a cure is a very challenging task. But a group of researchers at IBM and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have come up with a macromolecule that has potential to treat various types of viruses and prevent them from infecting humans.

James Hedrick, the lead researcher on the project at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, explained to Fast Company that the new "macromolecule" may protect people from viruses in unusual ways.

Popular Science reported that the researchers ignored the viruses' RNA and DNA for the study, which could be important areas to target, because they change from virus to virus and also mutate making it difficult to target them successfully, so Hedrick and his team developed a molecule that focused on glycoproteins, which sit on the outside of all viruses and attach to cells in the body, which will allow these viruses to do their devilish work by infecting cells and making humans sick.

The macromolecule has key factors that are important in fighting viruses. First, it's able to attract viruses towards itself using electrostatic charges. Once the virus is near, the macromolecule attaches itself to the virus and makes the virus unable to attach to healthy cells. Then it neutralizes the virus' acidity levels, which makes it less able to replicate. "We can now competitively go after this cell faster than the virus can go after your immune cell," Hedrick explained.

According to US News, Fast Company reports that the macromolecule was designed in a computer and has shown successful lab results against Ebola, Dengue, Marburg, Influenza, Chikungunya, Enterovirus 71 and Herpes Simplex. However, developers said this may not be available for quite a while. Researchers are still hoping that the macromolecule will be implemented in very practical ways.

"Something like a wipe, something like a hand cleaner is going to be relatively straightforward to move to market," Hedrick explained to Fast Company. If "you market it as a true antiviral, I would imagine it would take three, four, five years maybe maximum."