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Zach Petersen Blog Post

The article I read is found on biologynews.net and is about a new method of creating a vaccine for filo viruses, specifically the Ebola virus. The article explained the epidemiology of the Ebola virus and previous methods that have been researched to prevent the virus from spreading. The problem with the previous methods is they only were effective against one type of Ebola virus, and there are five different strains.

 This new method is projected to be effective against all five strains of Ebola virus. The key to theresearch was found in the epidemiology of the virus. An Ebola virus spreads through bodily fluids and can enter the body just by touching infected fluid. When the virus enters the body it, as all viruses do, searches for a point in which it can use the host's cells to multiply and reproduce. The Ebola virus specifically chooses a cell protein call Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1). When the virus comes in contact with a cell, the cell's membrane will seal it off in a lysosome. The lysosome removes a portion of the virus which, sadly, reveals the portion of the virus that can penetrate the lysosome,  binds to the host cell, and causes the reproduction of the virus. 

Knowing this, scientists inferred that if they could use a monoclonal antibody to seal off the portion of the virus that attaches to the cell after it enters the lysosome, or by neutralizing NPC1 they can prevent the reproduction of the virus and prevent an infection. Easy right? Well, it turns out Ebola is as smart as it is deadly. 

The lysosomes that the virus targets are too deep in the cells for traditional methods of administering a vaccine to reach. The authors state that they are "invisible to the immune system." Fortunately, the scientists have discovered a way to make the virus bring the vaccine right on target. 

They developed antibodies that would bind to the surface of the viruses, which would take them to the NPC1 cells and there the antibodies would bind to the cells, and the virus at the same time. With both ends of the reproduction chain being sealed off, the virus cannot bind to the host, and thus won't be able to reproduce. 

The antibodies have already been tested on human cells in a tissue culture and all five strands of Ebola virus have been neutralized. However, the tests are not complete yet, and more research is needed before a vaccine is ready to be released to the general public. The next step of the tests will be conducted on nonhuman primates. If all goes well we will be on our way to curing one of the most deadly diseases to affect humanity. 

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2016/09/08/new_trojan_horse_antibody_strategy_shows_promise_against_all_ebola_viruses.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+biologynews%2Fheadlines+%28Biology+News+Net%29

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 17, 2018 at 10:35 PM

    I really like that you picked an article dealing with a virus, especially one as interesting as the Ebola virus. The way these scientists have decided to go after this virus is pretty cool and I'm excited to see what happens with this vaccine in the future. I looked up Integrated BioTherapeutics to see if anything new has been released on this vaccine since the article was written, but it looks like it's still in the early phases and nothing new has been announced. I'm glad you posted this because it was really interesting, but I think your last sentence needs to be rewritten because as scary as Ebola is it is nowhere near being one of the most deadly diseases. IR

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