Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan have found an antibody that blocks dengue virus from transfecting hosts. The virus is spread typically by a mosquito vector and infects 50 to 100 million people a year. The virus results in dengue fever which causes fever, vomiting, muscle aches and even death.
"Protein structures determined at the APS have played a critical role in the development of drugs and vaccines for several diseases, and these new results are key to the development of a potentially effective treatment against flaviviruses." -- Bob Fischetti, group leader at Argonne's X-ray Sciences Division and life sciences advisor to the APS director.
As of now, there is no vaccine or treatment for dengue virus. There are four serotypes of the virus and building an antibody for one serotype can lead to antibody drug enhancement (ADE) to the others. ADE occurs when titers of one antibody dip below a certain limit, enabling other serotypes of the virus to seek the other antibody’s and lead them more efficiently to immune cells. Recently, scientists using the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility located at the DOE's Argonne National Laboratory, have reported success.
The research team's antibody, called 2B7, blocking the NS1 protein, preventing it from attaching itself to cells and inhibiting transfection. The antibody attacks the protein directly, not just the virus particle itself, enabling 2B7 to be effective against all four strains of the dengue virus.
"Flaviviruses infect hundreds of millions of people a year, and tens of thousands die from the associated diseases," continued Bob Fischetti, "Protein structures determined at the APS have played a critical role in the development of drugs and vaccines for several diseases, and these new results are key to the development of a potentially effective treatment against flaviviruses."