Zika’s Balloon Popped by Peptide Needle

A new antiviral drug candidate attacks the Zika virus where it may be most vulnerable—the lipid membrane, which envelopes Zika’s RNA payload. The drug candidate is an engineered peptide that punctures the membrane, directly stopping the Zika virus particle by rupturing it, rather than interfering in Zika’s replication. Even better, the peptide, as demonstrated in tests on mice, can cross the nearly impenetrable blood-brain barrier. Protecting against Zika in the brain is of cri