Viroblogy

U.S. scientists have reconstructed the 1918 virus (A/South Carolina/1/1918) from gene sequences (Science, 7 October issue). This virus, unlike modern human flu strains and like the "bird flu" strains, is highly pathogenic in mice and chicken eggs. Using mix-and-match techniques, they also show that the genes that are required for the exceptional virulence of this virus encode the viral glycoprotein HA and the viral polymerase subunit PB2. Why?? We are trying to get our hands on the 1918 HA gene to do some experiments...

-Kartik

PS: Bird flu in Turkey, Romania, and maybe, Greece and Croatia. Transmission is thought to be through infected migratory birds. If these guys reach Africa, we're in deep s***. For regular updates, sign up at www.promedmail.org.

-k

The lysosome turns fifty! Check out this article in Nature Cell Biology about the serendipitous discovery of "digestive" organelles within cells, containing acid phosphatase and hydrolase enzymes, written by the discoverer.

-Kartik

Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a leading virologist who works on both flu virus and Ebola, wrote a review of our paper for the regular feature "Clinical Implications of Basic Research" in NEJM. Dr. Kawaoka is generally very enthusiastic about our work. According to him, "[T]he findings of Chandran et al. are notable not only from a basic-science perspective, but also from other perspectives, because they point to a new direction in the treatment of [Ebola virus] infection." Jim is particularly excited about this review because the New England Journal of Medicine has a wide readership among clinicians in the U.S., and he can finally explain to his doctor friends why what we do is important!

-Kartik

PS: Not much progress in lab lately, but much progress along other fronts ;)

Final pdf file of the paper is available here.

Thank you to everyone who made this happen, both in lab and out, and apologies to friends and family who've had to hear me go on and on about the paper. OK, it's done, and this probably means I should get on with the next one :)

-Kartik

Harvard Focus (5.06.05)
Harvard Crimson (4.20.05)
Mail & Guardian Online (4.18.05)
The China Daily (4.16.05)
Medscape (WebMD)(4.15.05)
Science and Development Network (4.15.05) (Thank you, Shiva)

National Institutes of Health (4.14.05)

Hi folks,
Wanted to share some news with you. We just published a paper about Ebola virus infection and a possible anti-Ebola drug strategy in Science magazine (available here). The print version will come out later this month, and I will link to it on this blog.

A summary of the paper for non-biologists is as follows:

We found two proteins in the cell that Ebola virus exploits in order to start an infection.

Blocking what these proteins do blocks Ebola virus infection, suggesting a treatment strategy. However, this is only the start of the long and tortuous journey toward a drug, We would like to participate in it, but there are many stumbling blocks, both scientific and political. Only time will tell how far this will go.

The mechanistic details of how Ebola uses these cell proteins is unusual and interesting -- nothing like this has been seen for other viruses of this type.

Another very different virus also uses these exact proteins to infect cells, and (play the Twilight Zone theme here) I used to work on it in grad school.

We are thinking that viruses that are related to Ebola (e.g., Marburg virus, which is currently in the news) and possibly other pathogenic viruses,may also use the kind of mechanism we've found for Ebola. If true, this would be fantastic for trying to make one drug that would work against multiple bugs.

There are impending press releases from our hospital as well as the NIH, and we've been interviewed by journalists (from the BBC and Reuters!) the last couple of days, so there may be news stories in some shape or form. Will update the blog with links if/when I have more info.

Please post yr comments, ideas for future experiments, and job offers on the blog :)

Nothing about that guy in Andhra Pradesh who puts fish in your mouth as a cure for all ailments, please.

Cheers,
Kartik