Drugs to treat hepatitis C on the way

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a chronic infectious disease that afflicts some 170 million people worldwide, causing chronic liver disease and, in many cases, liver cancer.

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have finally obtained the first high- resolution crystal structure of a compound that binds to the genetic material of the hepatitis C virus and blocks its replication. More details in my current column on SpectroscopyNow.