New methods, available on JoVE for free, will significantly expand research institutions’ ability to safely study the virus
WHAT: A study depicting a more efficient experimental system for researching the Ebola virus has been released to the public by the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE). The study provides infectious disease specialists with the ability to understand Ebola in far less restrictive research environments.
Researchers successfully used a minigenome that still carried several viral genes that encode the viral proteins VP 40, GP1,2, and VP 24, as depicted in the video. This method allows researchers to continue studying Ebola virus biology even in the absence of any infectious virus.
WHY: Researchers are no longer confined to the costly and sparse nature of Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facilities. Now, this significant risk reduction allows Ebola researchers to study the virus and test antivirals in much more common BSL-2 labs.
WHO: Thomas Hoenen, Ph.D., the lead researcher on this Ebola lifecycle study published on JoVE, is a visiting fellow at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a component of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hoenen has more than a decade of professional experience studying the molecular biology of hemorrhagic fever viruses.
WHERE: To access the video and corresponding written study on modeling the Ebola lifecycle, please visit: http://www.jove.com/video/52381/modeling-lifecycle-ebola-virus-under-biosafety-level-2-conditions
For more information, or to reach a scientist involved in this study, please contact:
For JoVE:
Todd Van Hoosear
VP, Public Relations & Stakeholder Engagement
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