By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 03:39 GMT, 15 January 2019 | Updated: 08:46 GMT, 15 January 2019
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Scientists claim they have made a breakthrough discovery in the fight against infectious diseases.
Experts from the University of Hong Kong have discovered a 'highly-potent' chemical that could slow the spread of a host of life-threatening viruses, including SARS, Zika and bird flu.
The chemical - named AM580 - hijacks the lipids a virus needs from the cell it has infected in order to survive.
The researchers hope it will day be the go-to treatment for viruses - even those that have not evolved yet.
Scientists have made a breakthrough discovery in the fight against infectious diseases (stock)
Writing in the journal Nature Communications, the scientists - led by microbiologist Dr Yuen Kwok-yung - claim the chemical is 'highly potent in interrupting the life cycle of diverse viruses'.
The spread in recent decades of deadly bird flu strains, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have highlighted the need for new drugs that can work more quickly than vaccines.
Broad-spectrum antivirals are seen as the holy grail because they can be used against multiple pathogens.
Whereas vaccines usually only protect against one strain. And by the time the
