{"id":73,"date":"2025-04-24T15:52:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T22:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/?p=73"},"modified":"2025-04-24T15:52:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T22:52:04","slug":"scientists-unlock-key-to-fighting-monkeypox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/04\/24\/scientists-unlock-key-to-fighting-monkeypox\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Unlock Key to Fighting Monkeypox"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">A new study has revealed the molecular mechanisms behind a crucial enzyme that monkeypox virus needs to replicate, offering new hope for treatments against this emerging global health threat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Researchers from a multinational team led by scientists in China have, for the first time, successfully mapped the three-dimensional structure of the monkeypox &#8220;core protease&#8221; \u2013 an essential viral protein that acts like molecular scissors to process other viral proteins needed for virus maturation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">&#8220;This represents a catalytically favorable state and offers novel insights into the substrate-binding mode,&#8221; the research team noted in their study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-09014-x\">published in Nature<\/a>, detailing how they determined not only the structure of the enzyme but also how it interacts with potential inhibitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">The significance of this discovery comes against the backdrop of resurging mpox outbreaks. In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern due to clade Ib MPXV spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries. This marked the second such emergency in two years, with global cases exceeding 133,000 across 131 countries since 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Current prevention and treatment options remain limited. &#8220;Vaccines developed for the prophylaxis of smallpox cannot provide full-protection against MPXV,&#8221; the researchers pointed out, adding that &#8220;recent data showed that the antiviral tecovirimat failed to reduce the duration of mpox lesions compared with the placebo.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">This research breakthrough could change that landscape. The team not only mapped the enzyme&#8217;s structure but also designed peptidomimetic inhibitors based on their findings. These custom-designed molecules potently inhibited the viral protease in laboratory tests, showing promising activity against both monkeypox and vaccinia viruses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">The scientists employed advanced imaging techniques including cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography to visualize the enzyme at near-atomic resolution. What they discovered was unexpected \u2013 the core protease forms a unique &#8220;dancing-couple&#8221; fold when two identical protein molecules pair up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">Even more fascinating was the discovery that the enzyme changes shape when binding its targets. &#8220;These alterations elegantly demonstrate how CorePro switches from an unfavorable state in the apo-enzyme to a catalytically favorable state in the complex structure,&#8221; the researchers explained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">The most promising inhibitor compounds demonstrated potency at nanomolar concentrations in enzymatic tests and showed activity against live viruses in cell culture without significant toxicity. This suggests they could form the basis for developing much-needed new treatments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-pre-wrap break-words\">With orthopoxviruses like monkeypox posing a growing threat to global health, especially as smallpox vaccination has largely ceased, this research opens a promising pathway toward effective antivirals that could help contain future outbreaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new study has revealed the molecular mechanisms behind a crucial enzyme that monkeypox virus needs to replicate, offering new hope for treatments against this emerging global health threat. Researchers from a multinational team led by scientists in China have, for the first time, successfully mapped the three-dimensional structure of the monkeypox &#8220;core protease&#8221; \u2013 &#8230; <a title=\"Scientists Unlock Key to Fighting Monkeypox\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/04\/24\/scientists-unlock-key-to-fighting-monkeypox\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Scientists Unlock Key to Fighting Monkeypox\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1299,"featured_media":76,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scientists Unlock Key to Fighting Monkeypox - SciChi<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/04\/24\/scientists-unlock-key-to-fighting-monkeypox\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scientists Unlock Key to Fighting Monkeypox\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new study has revealed the molecular mechanisms behind a crucial enzyme that monkeypox virus needs to replicate, offering new hope for treatments against this emerging global health threat. Researchers from a multinational team led by scientists in China have, for the first time, successfully mapped the three-dimensional structure of the monkeypox &#8220;core protease&#8221; \u2013 ... 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That's exactly what some bacteria do to fight off viral infections, according to groundbreaking research from scientists at the University of Copenhagen and Huazhong Agricultural University. The newly discovered bacterial defense system, named\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"How a modified DNA building block helps bacteria fight viruses (Left) In the Kongming defense system used by some bacteria, two proteins\u2014KomA and a viral enzyme\u2014work together to produce a special molecule called dITP. This molecule sends a signal that turns on another protein complex, KomBC, which helps stop the virus by draining the cell\u2019s supply of NAD+, a molecule essential for life. (Right) This bacterial defense shares similarities with immune systems in other organisms like plants and animals. 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These include variants like cADPR, ATP, and dADP, and are often linked to enzymes or receptors like TIR and RNases, which help destroy viruses or infected cells.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/science.ads6055-fa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/science.ads6055-fa.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/science.ads6055-fa.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/04\/science.ads6055-fa.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":283,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/10\/20\/yeast-cells-coaxed-into-making-medical-cannabinoids\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":1},"title":"Yeast Cells Coaxed Into Making Medical Cannabinoids","author":"SciChi","date":"October 20, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists have successfully reprogrammed baker's yeast cousin to manufacture cannabis compounds in a laboratory, potentially bypassing the need for acres of hemp plants and unpredictable growing seasons. The engineered microbes produced cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), a precursor to CBD and other therapeutic molecules, at levels that could eventually support commercial production.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cannabis leaf","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/10\/pexels-fecundap6-2178565.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/10\/pexels-fecundap6-2178565.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/10\/pexels-fecundap6-2178565.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/10\/pexels-fecundap6-2178565.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":201,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/06\/24\/dangerous-viruses-related-to-deadly-nipah-found-in-chinese-bats\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":2},"title":"Dangerous Viruses Related to Deadly Nipah Found in Chinese Bats","author":"SciChi","date":"June 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists have discovered two viruses closely related to the lethal Nipah and Hendra viruses lurking in bat kidneys near villages in China's Yunnan province. The findings raise urgent concerns about potential spillover to humans through contaminated fruit, as these bats inhabit orchards where they could spread the pathogens through urine.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Environment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bats in orchard","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2025\/06\/Bats-in-orchard-.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":159,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2025\/05\/19\/scientists-find-protein-that-could-upend-osteoporosis-treatment\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":3},"title":"Scientists Find Protein That Could Upend Osteoporosis Treatment","author":"SciChi","date":"May 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A protein previously known for its role in brain and reproductive function may offer new hope for millions suffering from osteoporosis, according to a groundbreaking study published in Bone Research last month. 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It is a stainless steel disposable, thinner than a syringe needle, and once the electrode clips are attached and the current set to pulse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Electroacupuncture may help repair nerve damage after a spinal cord injury by reducing stress inside cells that is triggered by excess calcium.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/03\/electroaccupuncture-infographic.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":359,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/2026\/02\/02\/bat-caves-in-cambodia-hide-clues-to-a-pig-pandemics-mysterious-origins\/","url_meta":{"origin":73,"position":5},"title":"Bat Caves In Cambodia Hide Clues To A Pig Pandemic&#8217;s Mysterious Origins","author":"SciChi","date":"February 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Battambang bat caves draw tourists from around the world. Each evening, thousands of bats pour from the limestone cliffs in swirling clouds, a spectacle that fills the Cambodian sky. What visitors don't see is the invisible cargo these flying mammals carry, a sprawling viral universe that researchers are only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Environment&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/category\/environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"bat viromes infographic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/bat-viromes-in-Chinas-Yunnan-Guangxi-Zhuang-Autonomous-Region.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/bat-viromes-in-Chinas-Yunnan-Guangxi-Zhuang-Autonomous-Region.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/bat-viromes-in-Chinas-Yunnan-Guangxi-Zhuang-Autonomous-Region.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/16\/2026\/02\/bat-viromes-in-Chinas-Yunnan-Guangxi-Zhuang-Autonomous-Region.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1299"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions\/75"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/sciencechina\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}