Virus-like particles and Ebola vaccine development
Since February 2024, the Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Africa has been intensifying, and it has even spread to Europe and the United States. According to the WTO, as of October 31, 2024, a total of 13,567 confirmed, suspected, and possible cases of Ebola infection have been reported in eight countries, including Africa, the United States, and Spain (Nigeria and Senegal have already declared an end to the outbreak), with 4,951 deaths.
An unprecedented Ebola outbreak requires drugs and therapeutic vaccines for treatment. However, there are still no specific drugs or approved vaccines for Ebola available internationally. Although the United States is accelerating the development of two Ebola vaccines, a vaccine developed in the UK is already in the clinical trial stage and is expected to be used on a small scale in early 2015. Whether these vaccines are effective and whether their widespread use in the population will cause unnecessary or even catastrophic side effects remains to be seen.
Recently, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which specializes in the study of highly virulent viruses, has collectively made a breakthrough. Researcher Shi Zhenglisuccessfully developed virus-like particles (VLPs) with the envelope of the Ebola virus but without its nucleic acid content, taking a crucial step in the development of vaccines and drugs.
So, what are VLPs? To understand VLPs, one must first understand the structure of the Ebola virus. As shown in the diagram, the Ebola virus particle has many protruding glycoprotein (GP) trimers on its surface, which are the viral molecules that the body recognizes and produces a very strong immune response. On the inner side of the viral envelope, there are also multiple protein molecules, also known as matrix proteins. Scientists have discovered that the matrix protein VP40 and the GP protein can automatically assemble into a shell similar to the Ebola virus particle, that is, VLPs.
How will obtaining VLPs help control the Ebola outbreak? Since VLPs do not contain the nucleic acid components of the Ebola virus, they are not infectious. Most importantly, VLPs retain the high immunogenicity of the viral GP protein, making VLPs the preferred choice for developing anti-Ebola virus vaccines. Using this characteristic, scientists can produce VLPs in large quantities in the laboratory. Using such VLPs as vaccines to inoculate humans can activate the immune response against the Ebola virus GP protein, and those vaccinated may be able to resist infection by the Ebola virus.
It is understood that with the support of the special fund project of the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Wuhan Institute of Virology has successfully constructed VLPs with independent intellectual property rights. Researcher Zhang Bo and his team are also using the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus modified by his team to prepare a new type of Ebola VLP. This VLP has the activity of a single infection of cells and can also be safely used in general laboratories. This VLP is an excellent tool for in-depth understanding of the life cycle of the Ebola virus in cells.
Chinese Academy of Sciences scientists are also working around the clock to create various Ebola virus detection products, develop various neutralizing antibodies, and explore various interesting and very important research tools for viruses. With such scientists around us, we have more guarantees against potential Ebola invasions. Please continue to follow our subsequent reports.