<p>Bengaluru: There is no effective antiviral treatment for rabies worldwide. However, an anticancer drug being repurposed for rabies could offer a potential breakthrough.</p>.<p>A Bengaluru-based biotech research and development organisation, the Foundation for Neglected Disease Research (FNDR), has found that the drug homoharringtonine (HHT) provides over 90% inhibition against the rabies virus in laboratory settings.</p>.<p>Rabies, a deadly viral infection, is usually transmitted through a bite, scratch, or any salivary contact from an infected animal, most commonly a dog or a bat. Cases of rabies transmission have also been reported from cats and monkeys; however, dog-mediated rabies remains the most prevalent.</p>.<p>Symptoms can appear anytime between four days and three months after contact with an infected animal. Once symptoms manifest, rabies is almost always fatal.</p>.<p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 59,000 deaths occur annually due to rabies. While timely vaccination can prevent rabies infection, there is currently no treatment to halt the rapid progression of symptoms, which ultimately leads to death.</p>.Karnataka reports eight rabies deaths in two months this year.<p>Over the past two years, FNDR has been repurposing existing drugs and testing them for effectiveness against rabies. “We purchased a library of 3,035 FDA-approved drug compounds from commercial sources and screened them against the rabies virus. The rabies strain was provided by Nimhans, Bengaluru,” said Dr Shridhar Narayanan, CEO and Co-founder of FNDR.</p>.<p>The results were validated through High-Throughput Screening (HTS), followed by a dose-response analysis for active molecules. Of the total compounds screened, 52 demonstrated over 50% inhibition against the rabies virus in in-vitro models. These compounds were then further analysed to assess their potency.</p>.<p>HHT is a semi-synthetic compound with anti-cancer properties and is currently used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia, a rare, slow-progressing blood-cell cancer of the bone marrow.</p>.<p>“The rationale behind this approach is that, because there are very few rabies survivors, if we can administer a drug that eliminates the virus from the brain, there is a chance that the patient can survive,” Dr Narayanan explained.</p>.<p>The FNDR team, a not-for-profit organisation, presented their findings at the International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR-2025), organised by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) in Las Vegas, Nevada, from March 17 to 21.</p>.<p>They are currently preparing a publication and exploring a long-term collaboration with Nimhans and Christian Medical College, Vellore, to advance this potentially life-saving repurposed drug.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: There is no effective antiviral treatment for rabies worldwide. However, an anticancer drug being repurposed for rabies could offer a potential breakthrough.</p>.<p>A Bengaluru-based biotech research and development organisation, the Foundation for Neglected Disease Research (FNDR), has found that the drug homoharringtonine (HHT) provides over 90% inhibition against the rabies virus in laboratory settings.</p>.<p>Rabies, a deadly viral infection, is usually transmitted through a bite, scratch, or any salivary contact from an infected animal, most commonly a dog or a bat. Cases of rabies transmission have also been reported from cats and monkeys; however, dog-mediated rabies remains the most prevalent.</p>.<p>Symptoms can appear anytime between four days and three months after contact with an infected animal. Once symptoms manifest, rabies is almost always fatal.</p>.<p>The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over 59,000 deaths occur annually due to rabies. While timely vaccination can prevent rabies infection, there is currently no treatment to halt the rapid progression of symptoms, which ultimately leads to death.</p>.Karnataka reports eight rabies deaths in two months this year.<p>Over the past two years, FNDR has been repurposing existing drugs and testing them for effectiveness against rabies. “We purchased a library of 3,035 FDA-approved drug compounds from commercial sources and screened them against the rabies virus. The rabies strain was provided by Nimhans, Bengaluru,” said Dr Shridhar Narayanan, CEO and Co-founder of FNDR.</p>.<p>The results were validated through High-Throughput Screening (HTS), followed by a dose-response analysis for active molecules. Of the total compounds screened, 52 demonstrated over 50% inhibition against the rabies virus in in-vitro models. These compounds were then further analysed to assess their potency.</p>.<p>HHT is a semi-synthetic compound with anti-cancer properties and is currently used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia, a rare, slow-progressing blood-cell cancer of the bone marrow.</p>.<p>“The rationale behind this approach is that, because there are very few rabies survivors, if we can administer a drug that eliminates the virus from the brain, there is a chance that the patient can survive,” Dr Narayanan explained.</p>.<p>The FNDR team, a not-for-profit organisation, presented their findings at the International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR-2025), organised by the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR) in Las Vegas, Nevada, from March 17 to 21.</p>.<p>They are currently preparing a publication and exploring a long-term collaboration with Nimhans and Christian Medical College, Vellore, to advance this potentially life-saving repurposed drug.</p>