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Department of Tropical Medicine Medical Microbiology & Pharmacology
Pacific Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Research
Well
COBRE/Department of Tropical Medicine Seminar Series
Filovirus Vaccine Development
and the Role of Cathepsins in
Ebola Virus Replication
Ebola and Marburg viruses cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans in central Africa
and have been introduced into Europe and North America by global travelers. Currently,
there is no licensed vaccine or treatment to treat or prevent the hemorrhagic fever
caused by these viruses. Although major efforts have been made to develop vaccine
platforms. We are employing a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based
vaccine expressing either the Ebola or Marburg virus glycoprotein as an immunogen
instead of the native VSV glycoprotein. The goal is to develop a single shot vaccine that
is protective against several species of Ebola virus. Another focus is on the role of
cellular proteases during the viral entry process, in particular the influence of cathepsins
during Ebola virus infection. In vitro and in vivo data with replicating Ebola virus
demonstrate that while cathepsins contribute to infection, they are not essential.
Andrea Marzi, Ph.D.
Visiting Fellow
Laboratory of Virology
Rocky Mountain Laboratories
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health
Hamilton, Montana
Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 12:00 noon
John A. Burns School of Medicine, Kaka‘ako
Medical Education Building Auditorium, Room 315
For further information, call 692-1654
The Center and its activities are supported by grants P20RR018727 and
G12RR003061 from the National Center for Research Resources,
National Institutes of Health