Antiviral testing

Introduction

Antiviral testing is a process in which antivirals are tested for their efficacy against viruses. This test falls under the umbrella of pharmaceutical sciences. The primary goal of antiviral testing is to determine the effectiveness of an antiviral at blocking a virus from infecting a cell. The result can determine whether or not an antiviral would be used as treatment for that virus, or if another drug needs to be created in order to stop the spread of that particular virus. Antivirals are designed to stop the spread of viruses and block viral replication in cells. This can be done through a variety of means, including inhibiting viral penetration, preventing viral uncoating, preventing viral replication, and destabilizing the virus' genome.

There are two main different types of antivirals: nucleosides and nucleotides. Nucleosides change the way DNA or RNA works so that it cannot be used by the virus or is destroyed before it can be used by a virus. Nucleotides are nucleoside analogs that are used against DNA or RNA viruses.

There are also two main ways to test the antiviral potency of a substance: "in vivo" and "in vitro". In vivo means testing the antiviral on infected animals. In vitro means testing it in a test tube or on cell cultures. In vitro testing is more common because it is less invasive and also has the potential to be more specific. In addition, viral mutations are a frequent concern in "in vivo" tests because the virus will adapt to the treatment and become more difficult to detect.

In order to test for antiviral activity, viruses must be grown in the laboratory and cells must then be infected. Once the cells are infected, biological assays are performed in order to see how efficient an antiviral is at stopping virus growth. These assays can be divided into two groups: neutralization and cytopathic effects. Neutralization assays determine whether or not the antiviral will stop the virus from infecting a cell or stop the virus from entering a cell that has already been infected.

Conclusion

Antiviral testing is a critical aspect of pharmaceutical sciences that ensures that the drugs being created are effective at stopping viruses. The two main ways to test for antiviral activity are in vivo and in vitro. In vitro is more common because it is an effective way to determine how an antiviral will perform against a virus and does not put animals in harm's way.