NCKU research team develops dengue vaccine with 3D model analysis
Tainan, Taiwan, January 13, 2014
The dengue fever research team of the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research (CIDSR) has successfully analyzed the dengue fever virus and is currently collaborating with the International Institute for Macromolecular Analysis and Nanomedicine (IMANI) in developing a 3D structural model of the virus using cryo-electron microscope and 3D recombinant technology.
If successful, the model can help investigate the mechanism of viral infection, pathogenic mechanisms as well as develop the effective treatment and vaccine which stops the threat of dengue fever.
Also known as the “breakbone fever”, hemorrhagic shock is the most important cause of death due to dengue fever as dengue viruses infect human bone marrow cells and greatly reduce the number of blood cells.
NCKU CIDSR Associate Professor Dr. Guey-Chuen Peng’s research team has verified the serious effect of infection on bone marrow cells, where the viruses destroy these cells and affect the composition of peripheral blood, using monkeys as experimental animal model in the laboratory.
Peng’s research team has also collaborated with NCKU Hospital doctors to obtain fresh human bone marrow cells and carry out further research on these cells.
The effort to culture dengue fever virus in bone marrow cells by Peng and his research team has proven to be a big discovery as it explains and verifies that the main cause of fatality due to dengue fever virus is the destruction of hematopoietic stem cells by this virus.
Peng’s research team has also obtained the blood serum of patients infected with acute dengue fever and successfully separated the virus from the serum after overcoming technical difficulties.
Observations made under the use of the microscope has proven that despite the huge differences between dengue virus particles obtained through separation from human bone marrow cells and the ones cultured in similar cells, the cultured ones have been found to be extremely close biochemically as both have shown the same components and composition.
“For more than 10 years, the cause of hemorrhagic shock and fatality due to dengue fever has been unexplainable and there has been neither special medical treatment nor vaccine and medical drugs for this virus till now,” according to Peng.
Peng’s research team is actively collaborating with IMANI to create an accurate 3D virus structural model using cryo-electron microscope and 3D structural recombinant technology.
He said, this model will help in future dengue fever research in terms of its infection mechanism, pathogenic mechanism, treatment method and most importantly, the development of vaccine, thus producing breakthrough research results.
The NCKU dengue research team started their research on dengue since 1996. Besides from carrying out in-depth dengue research, they have also formed international collaborations with other institutions, including the US-based Emory University’s own Vaccine Center and Thailand’s Bangkok University.
They are also committed to research on the role of the non-structural protein (NS1) and other antibodies in the pathogenic mechanism of dengue virus, which brought the successful development of NS1 monoclonal antibody and rapid diagnostic methods while collaborating with biotechnology firms.
Meanwhile, Peng’s research team will also be collaborating with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and the US National Institutes of Health in the effort of designing new vaccine.
Enditem/
The dengue fever research team of the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research (CIDSR) has successfully analyzed the dengue fever virus and is currently collaborating with the International Institute for Macromolecular Analysis and Nanomedicine (IMANI) in developing a 3D structural model of the virus using cryo-electron microscope and 3D recombinant technology.
If successful, the model can help investigate the mechanism of viral infection, pathogenic mechanisms as well as develop the effective treatment and vaccine which stops the threat of dengue fever.
Also known as the “breakbone fever”, hemorrhagic shock is the most important cause of death due to dengue fever as dengue viruses infect human bone marrow cells and greatly reduce the number of blood cells.
NCKU CIDSR Associate Professor Dr. Guey-Chuen Peng’s research team has verified the serious effect of infection on bone marrow cells, where the viruses destroy these cells and affect the composition of peripheral blood, using monkeys as experimental animal model in the laboratory.
Peng’s research team has also collaborated with NCKU Hospital doctors to obtain fresh human bone marrow cells and carry out further research on these cells.
The effort to culture dengue fever virus in bone marrow cells by Peng and his research team has proven to be a big discovery as it explains and verifies that the main cause of fatality due to dengue fever virus is the destruction of hematopoietic stem cells by this virus.
Peng’s research team has also obtained the blood serum of patients infected with acute dengue fever and successfully separated the virus from the serum after overcoming technical difficulties.
Observations made under the use of the microscope has proven that despite the huge differences between dengue virus particles obtained through separation from human bone marrow cells and the ones cultured in similar cells, the cultured ones have been found to be extremely close biochemically as both have shown the same components and composition.
“For more than 10 years, the cause of hemorrhagic shock and fatality due to dengue fever has been unexplainable and there has been neither special medical treatment nor vaccine and medical drugs for this virus till now,” according to Peng.
Peng’s research team is actively collaborating with IMANI to create an accurate 3D virus structural model using cryo-electron microscope and 3D structural recombinant technology.
He said, this model will help in future dengue fever research in terms of its infection mechanism, pathogenic mechanism, treatment method and most importantly, the development of vaccine, thus producing breakthrough research results.
The NCKU dengue research team started their research on dengue since 1996. Besides from carrying out in-depth dengue research, they have also formed international collaborations with other institutions, including the US-based Emory University’s own Vaccine Center and Thailand’s Bangkok University.
They are also committed to research on the role of the non-structural protein (NS1) and other antibodies in the pathogenic mechanism of dengue virus, which brought the successful development of NS1 monoclonal antibody and rapid diagnostic methods while collaborating with biotechnology firms.
Meanwhile, Peng’s research team will also be collaborating with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and the US National Institutes of Health in the effort of designing new vaccine.
Enditem/
Click Num:
Share
