# Pioneering Role of T.C. Merigan in the Treatment of Various Virus Infections

## TL;DR

This paper highlights Prof. Thomas C. Merigan's pioneering research on interferon and its use in treating various viral infections over nearly 50 years.

## Contribution

The paper outlines Merigan's novel contributions to interferon research and its application in treating multiple virus infections.

## Key findings

- Merigan identified synthetic polyanionic inducers of interferon, such as pyran copolymer and poly r(s¯A-s¯U).
- He demonstrated interferon's therapeutic potential for viruses like varicella-zoster, herpes, and HIV.
- His work laid the foundation for interferon-based treatments for multiple viral infections.

## Abstract

The research of Prof. Dr. Thomas C. Merigan has spanned almost half a century. It started in 1963 with his interest in interferon (i). He then identified pyran copolymer as a synthetic polyanionic inducer of interferon (ii), and thereafter thiophosphate-substituted polyribonucleotides, i.e., poly r(s¯A-s¯U) (iii). He recognized the potential of interferon as a therapeutic agent for virus infections (iv), varicella-zoster virus (VZV) being the first case in point (v). His interest then shifted to the treatment of herpes virus [herpes simplex virus (HSV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV)] infections (vi) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections (vii), to end up with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections (viii, ix, x). T.C. Merigan’s pioneering work on the treatment of so many pivotal virus infections deserves further in-depth clinical evaluation.