Tropes

futurity_medicine 00026.txt

#Lab mice bred to test Ebola vaccines University of North carolina at Chapel hill University of Washington rightoriginal Studyposted by Mark Derewicz-UNC on November 3 2014researchers have developed the first genetic strain of mice that can be infected with Ebola and display symptoms similar to those that humans experience. It s a critical step toward developingâ#treatments and vaccines.####You can t look for a cure for Ebola unless you have an animal model that mimics the Ebola virus disease spectra##says study coauthor Ralph Baric professor of epidemiology at the University of North carolina at Chapel hill. Typical laboratory mice usually do not develop humanlike Ebola disease including the severe symptoms that can prove fatal in humans. So the researchers asked whether all mice are immune to Ebola or whether some strains of mice are susceptible; and if some are susceptible could they harness the power of mouse genetics to figure out what genes make someone susceptible to the disease. To find out the team including researchers from the University of Washington and the NIH Rocky mountain National Laboratory where the research took place were breed able to together eight genetic mouse variants and successfully test a strain of mice to permit active research on potential Ebola vaccines and treatments. This model system more accurately reflected the human experience when infected with the virus. The team was able to show that a combination of genes were involved in producing a range of disease symptoms such that the genetic variation of the mice directly led to the variety of symptoms that the disease produced. What s more the researchers pinpointed a single gene that accounted for much of that variationâ##a gene responsible for encoding a protein known as TEK.####A basic understanding of how our genetics influence susceptibility to viral infections and affect disease development is absolutely critical to creating much needed therapeutic interventions.####says William Fischer an assistant professor of medicine who has treated Ebola patients in Africa.####We can decrease Ebola fatality rates with intensive critical care but this is difficult to do in places with limited human and material resources. Rationally designed treatments and vaccines are needed desperately##adds Fischer who was not part of this research project. Martin Ferris coauthor of the paper published in Science and a research assistant professor of genetics in the UNC School of medicine says:####Public perception of Ebola infection typically focuses on the high mortality rate following hemorrhagic fever but Ebola actually produces a range of disease symptoms.####During an outbreak it is often difficult to assess the role that genetic variation plays in determining disease severity in people. And if we re going to develop treatments then we need to know about this genetic variation.####Source: UNC-Chapel Hillyou are free to share this article under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noderivs 3. 0 Unported license o

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