| abstract |
The invention provides antisense antiviral compounds and methods of their use and production in inhibition of growth of viruses of the Filoviridae family, and in the treatment of a viral infection. The compounds and methods relate to the treatment of viral infections in mammals including primates by Ebola and Marburg viruses. The antisense antiviral compounds are substantially uncharged morpholino oligonucleotides having: a) a nuclease resistant backbone, b) 15-40 nucleotide bases, and c) a targeting sequence of at least 15 bases in length that hybridizes to a target region selected from the following: i) the AUG start site region of VP35, as exemplified by antisense compounds SEQ ID NO: 21-26, ii) the AUG start site region of VP24, as exemplified by antisense compound SEQ ID NO:34, iii) the region 85 to 65 base pairs upstream of the AUG start site of VP24, as exemplified by SEQ ID NO:39, iv) the AUG start site region of polymerase L, as exemplified by antisense compound SEQ ID NO: 17, and v) combinations of (i), (ii), (iii), and/or (iv). |