On Jul. 31, 2020, researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) announced they had identified sphingolipids as crucial to Zika virus replication in human cells. Lipids are ‘oily’ molecules that are crucial components of many cellular structures, including cell membranes.

There is currently no treatment or vaccine for Zika virus. However, molecules that modulate cellular production of those lipids might be targets to develop a potential medicine for Zika infection, the researchers said. A paper describing the work was published in Nature Communications.