[이데일리 신하영 기자] Konkuk University announced on the 2nd that Professor Choi In-soo of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of Konkuk University confirmed the antiviral effect of interferon lambda protein on influenza viruses. Professor Choi In-soo’s team from Konkuk University, from left, doctoral student Kim Dong-hwi from Konkuk University (first author), Professor Choi In-soo (corresponding author). Interferon lambda is a protein that is expressed in the innate immune response when foreign pathogenic substances such as viruses invade the body and exert an antiviral effect. Unlike interferon type 1 (interferon alpha, etc.), which is currently used as a treatment for viruses, interferon type 3 (interferon lambda) is a protein undergoing clinical trials worldwide because it has a low risk of side effects such as inflammation and fever in the body. Adenovirus is a type of virus that causes upper respiratory tract disease, and the research team recombined it and used it as a genetic delivery vehicle. The research team then inserted the human interferon lambda-4 gene into the gene of a recombinant adenovirus to develop a treatment for human influenza. In order to use the treatment as a medicine, an experiment was conducted to apply for clinical trial (IND) approval.
The study results showed that recombinant adenovirus expressing the human interferon lambda-4 protein enhanced the expression of innate immune system genes in cells and mice. As a result, it was confirmed to inhibit the proliferation of two types of low pathogenic influenza viruses and two types of highly pathogenic influenza viruses.
This research was conducted with the support of the Technology Development Project for the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the excellent research personnel training project of Konkuk University. The results of the research were published in the prestigious international journal (Journal of Medical Virology).
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