A video interview with a researcher expert in respiratory viruses features the state-of-the-art of antiviral research and the work to improve their efficacy
30 Nov 2022
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Antiviral drugs are one of the currently available tools to reduce the complications of Covid-19 infections, as they act by blocking the mechanisms of virus reproduction.
We asked Valeria Cagno, Group Leader at the Institute of Microbiology of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and the University Hospital of Lausanne, to shed some light on this topic and to explain which antiviral drugs are currently available, what the current problems are, and what the future use and perspectives can be.
One of the limitations she mentions is the absence of a broad-spectrum antiviral.
“When we have a bacterial infection, we do not have to know which is the bacteria that is infecting us and we just take a broad-spectrum antibiotic. This doesn’t exist for viruses” she said.
That’s why, in her lab, she is searching for innovative antiviral strategies for respiratory viruses.
The video interview is available here
