Hendra and Nipah Virus Breakthrough
A USU research team isolated the receptor for two deadly viruses.
The Hendra and Nipah viruses are naturally occurring and highly pathogenic paramyxoviruses for which no treatments or vaccines are currently available.
Closing In On Vaccines and Therapetics
USU researcher and microbiology professor Christopher Broder, Ph.D., in collaboration with the Australian Animal Health Laboratory and the National Cancer Institute, isolated the functional receptor for the Hendra and Nipah viruses. Broder's USU team is funded by NIH.
The group demonstrated that a cell surface protein called Ephrin-B2 is a functional receptor for both Hendra and Nipah. Now that they have identified the receptor, the researchers have a new target for activity. This discovery is a significant step towards creating an effective method for blocking the viruses from infecting cells.
Recognition of the Discovery
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., heralded the discovery as a major step towards developing countermeasures to prevent and treat the viruses. The results of the research were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research has led to two inventions for which the USU-HJF Joint Office of Technology Transfer has filed patent applications.