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Know your enemy - especially if it’s
a ‘battleship’ among viruses
A group of University of Otago researchers have formed a new HRCfunded programme that will see them exploring new ways of fighting viruses on one hand, and using viral weaponry to attack diseases on the
other.
Professor Andrew Mercer, Director of the Virus Research Unit in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, is heading the programme
entitled ‘Human pathogenic viruses: drug targets and therapeutic potential’.
Professor Mercer says they are focusing on major human viral pathogens
including HIV, human papillomaviruses (HPVs), and poxviruses.
Each of these pathogens has its own unique survival mechanisms so their
research will work to identify potential therapeutic drug targets.
“Our goal is to gain new knowledge both about the interplay the virus and
its human host. The spin-offs are that we can develop new anti-virals and
we can also learn more about us and use that knowledge to develop therapeutics for non-viral diseases.”
His own project focuses on poxviruses which he describes as something of a
“battleship” amongst viruses.
“They armour themselves with thick protection and an impressive array of
powerful weapons. But those weapons and armour could have therapeutic
potential for other diseases and also tell us a lot about ourselves.”
Professor Mercer says that studying these viruses is like looking into a
“viral mirror”, because it provides a new look into our own cell biology,
physiology and immunology.
“Poxviruses have a whole range of clever tricks including genes they have
stolen from us and adapted for their own purposes.”
Two examples are an anti-inflammatory signalling protein and a growth
factor both of which could have potential in healing burns by reducing inflammation and promoting healing.
Another of the projects, headed by Dr Sarah Young, is using virus like particles, which are basically the dead shell of a virus that can be used as a carrier for anti-cancer vaccines.
“The cunning idea here is that they stimulate strong immune responses and
are a very good delivery vehicle,” says Professor Mercer.
“We can then attach what we call tumour associated antigens which encourage the body’s own immune system to attack the tumour cells.”
They are initially studying its use against melanoma before moving on to
other forms of cancer.
Professor Mercer says another of his colleagues, Professor Kurt Krause, is
heading a project looking at HIV and a protein it produces called virion
infectivity factor (VIF) which binds to a particular protein in the human cell.
“If you can develop a drug that targets VIF and prevent it from binding
then you can stop the virus replicating.”
Professor Krause is using crystallography to examine the structure of VIF
and the protein it targets so they can eventually develop a molecule to stop
it from binding.
This research is funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand
HRC54a 2008
Level 3, 110 Stanley Street, Auckland PO Box 5541,
Wellesley Street, Auckland, 1141, NZ
Telephone 64 9 303 5200 Facsimile 64 9 377 9988
Website www.hrc.govt.nz
From left, Professor Kurt Krause, Dr Merilyn
Hibma, Professor Andrew Mercer and Dr
Sarah Young
Key words:
- Fighting viruses, human viral
pathogens, therapeutic drug
targets, HIV, HPV, poxviruses
Aims of this research
- To unravel the molecular
mechanisms of viral disease and
identify therapeutic opportunities