A Drug to Tackle Chikungunya Virus May Soon Be a Reality, Thanks to IIT Roorkie!

The researchers at IIT Roorkie are conducting in-depth research on the drug piperazine, and have discovered its anti-viral properties could be used to tackle the disease.

While the WHO report on Chigunya shows that over the years there has been no specific antiviral drug treatment for chikungunya or no commercial chikungunya vaccine, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee are on a mission to develop a cure.

In the absence of a vaccine or antiviral drug available in the market, the course of treatment currently revolves around alleviating symptoms associated with the viral infection.

Their research has shown that the spread and replication of the Chikungunya virus can be efficiently curbed in a lab setting with the existing drug piperazine. The focus is now on testing the molecule on animals so they can take it one step forward to clinical trials.

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