Xueba’s medical black technology system

Chapter 132 Lu Liang’s guilty conscience

Lu Liang inserted the USB flash drive he brought into the computer and opened the completed ppt.

After doing all this, Lu Liang glanced at the big screen behind him and made sure that the projector was projecting normally.

Lu Liang looked up at the large classroom.

At this moment, Lu Liang's large classroom was darkly packed with people, and under the crowds there were countless gazes.

This made Lu Liang grin.

This pressure is not ordinary.

If he had known that this would be the case, he would have chosen to teach undergraduates. After all, he did not have to face so many people in class.

But now there is no time for Lu Liang to think about these things.

Lu Liang calmed down and spoke.

"Hepatitis C has always been one of the world's major public health problems, with the global hepatitis C infection rate being 3%."

"For a long time, the treatment of hepatitis C has been based on interferon + broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. However, this treatment method is extremely difficult to completely remove the virus from the body. These residual viruses will lead to the recurrence of the disease."

"Moreover, when the hepatitis C virus mutates in the body, it often makes treatment more difficult. Therefore, targeted antiviral drugs become the key to solving the problem."

After Lu Liang stood up briefly, he began to explain.

"In recent years, research on hepatitis C has continued to make breakthroughs, and various targets of hepatitis C virus have been discovered one after another, including NS3 protease, NS5B polymerase, protein E2, p7 ion channel, etc."

"What I want to talk about today are two important targets, which are NS5A protein and NS5B polymerase."

The full name of NS5A protein is non-structural 5A protein. It is a highly phosphorylated non-structural protein. Studies have long shown that NS5A may be one of the reasons for the low success rate of current interferon therapy.

The reason is also very simple. NS5A can induce the expression of interleukin-8, thereby inhibiting the antiviral effect of hepatitis C virus on interferon.

Perhaps at this point, some people may find it strange that the NS5A protein is so powerful and can inhibit the effects of interferon.

Why is the NS5A protein still a target?

After all, shouldn’t the places that can be drug targets be the places where the virus is most vulnerable?

In fact, this is one of the things where many people misunderstand the concept of “target”.

The “target” is not necessarily the most vulnerable place.

In fact, any biological macromolecule that can combine with other molecules and has a specific function can become a drug target.

In other words, no matter what kind of tin shell you are, as long as there is a hole, you can get into it.

Because the phosphorylation level of NS5A protein also plays a key regulatory role in the replication and translation process of the hepatitis C virus genome.

When NS5A protein is exposed to drug molecules, the degree of phosphorylation of NS5A protein will change, thereby greatly inhibiting the activity of hepatitis C virus.

The reason why NS5B polymerase can become a target is even simpler.

RNA replication of HCV is highly dependent on RNA polymerase NS5B.

What is high dependence?

To put it simply, I can’t live without this thing.

Therefore, when NS5B polymerase is exposed to a drug molecule, the drug molecule is converted into the active nucleoside triphosphate form, which then serves as a substrate for NS5B polymerase.

After drug molecules in the form of nucleoside triphosphates are inserted into the nascent RNA chain of the virus, the special structure on the sugar unit will prevent the insertion of subsequent bases, thereby inhibiting the extension of the nascent RNA chain.

As for why Lu Liang chose two different target drugs as a combination, the reason is also very simple. The NS5A protein differs in different genotypes of hepatitis C virus and is prone to mutation. At this time, an additional layer of protection is needed, which is an NS5B polymerase inhibitor.

Hepatitis C virus that cannot be killed by NS5A protein inhibitors is killed by NS5B polymerase inhibitors.

This is equivalent to bombing once is not enough, and we need to use nuclear bombs again to clean the ground.

This is why the cure rate of drugs for hepatitis C patients is so high.

Lu Liang’s explanation was very detailed, explaining clearly the structure and physiological functions of NS5A protein and the key role of NS5B polymerase in the replication of hepatitis C virus.

Then start from the role of drug molecules.

Describe the changes that occur in the NS5A protein and NS5B polymerase when the viral target is exposed to drug molecules, and the impact on the virus.

The entire large classroom became silent at this moment, even though many students sitting in the audience were not pharmacy majors, and their majors were not even related to biology.

I don’t know anything about the terms NS5A protein and NS5B polymerase.

But they could still understand a general idea, after all, Lu Liang's description was too detailed.

So much so that with just some basic high school biology knowledge, you can probably understand what Lu Liang is talking about.

Everyone is following Lu Liang's idea.

Finally, Lu Liang began to summarize: "Hepatitis C virus has currently developed at least 6 genotypes and more than 100 subtypes."

"Although most of the variants generated result in the loss of viral replication function through inactivation of the function of the encoded protein or lack of tolerance to the host immune system."

"But there are still many remaining variants that survive and develop drug resistance, so developing hepatitis C treatments is still a challenge."

Finally, as Lu Liang's words fell.

There was silence in the audience at first, but soon a clear sound of applause broke the silence in the large classroom. The applause first came from the old professor in the first row.

Soon, the applause began to spread, and finally filled every corner of the large classroom.

Lu Liang on the stage also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. It is really not an easy task to give a lecture to so many people.

After the academic lecture ended, everyone began to disperse. After all, the second lecture had to wait until the afternoon, and it was still early.

Moreover, many students came here just for Lu Liang. Now that Lu Liang has finished speaking, there is no need to stay any longer.

Lu Liang originally planned to leave, but after the lecture, the old professors gathered around and pulled Lu Liang to start more in-depth academic exchanges.

Finally, after more than ten minutes, all the students in the large classroom were gone, and several old professors just ended the exchange.

Before leaving, the old professors still had lingering smiles on their faces.

Lu Liang was free at this time. He deleted the ppt copied to the computer in the large classroom and emptied the recycle bin.

This is to ensure that the data will not be leaked. This is what Lu Liang learned in his first lesson when he enrolled. All experimental data must be kept strictly confidential.

After doing all this, Lu Liang turned off the computer and projector.

Then he pulled out the USB flash drive, put it in his pocket, and walked outside the big classroom.

However, as soon as he walked out of the large classroom door, Lu Liang saw Liu Yao with her arms folded, standing in the corridor at the door, waiting for him.

The expression on Liu Yao's face at this moment was also meaningful.

This made Lu Liang grin subconsciously.

(End of this chapter)