A new antiviral blocks 6 deadly viruses in mice but faces a long road ahead

A sugar present on virus envelopes might become the target of new antiviral treatments for a range of viruses, researchers report August 27 in Science Advances. This treatment, shown to shut down infections of Ebola, Nipah, SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in mice, could potentially be the first line of defense against future pandemics, the scientists say.

“This is an interesting study, showing a possible pathway towards broad-spectrum antivirals,” says William Wimley, a…