Chinese scientists at Hebei Medical University have developed a synthetic virus that can cause death within three days, mimicking the deadly Ebola virus. This study, published in Science Direct, aims to enhance understanding of Ebola by reproducing its effects in a controlled laboratory setting.
The researchers engineered the virus using a glycoprotein from Ebola, which allows the virus to infect cells and spread throughout the body. The study involved injecting the synthetic virus into Syrian hamsters, which subsequently developed severe systemic diseases similar to those observed in human Ebola patients, including multi-organ failure. Scratches covering some of the hamsters' eyes affected their vision.
The team at Hebei Medical University utilized the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a different virus, to carry the Ebola glycoprotein. This method enabled them to conduct the study under Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) conditions rather than the more stringent Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) conditions required for handling Ebola itself. The researchers emphasized that this surrogate model provides a safe, effective, and economical tool for rapid preclinical evaluation of medical countermeasures against Ebola virus disease (EVD).
The synthetic virus was found to spread throughout the hamsters' bodies, with the highest concentrations in the liver, as well as significant levels in the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, stomach, intestines, and brain tissues. The researchers harvested organs from the deceased hamsters to observe the virus's distribution.
This study is part of a broader effort to better understand Ebola and develop strategies to prevent its spread. Amid concerns surrounding the alleged lab leak of COVID-19, the Chinese researchers clarified that their objective was to reproduce the symptoms of Ebola in a laboratory setting to facilitate further research and prevent potential outbreaks.
The implications of this research extend beyond Ebola, offering a rapid preclinical evaluation method for other medical countermeasures under less stringent safety conditions. The findings could accelerate technological advances in confronting various viral diseases, enhancing global health security.
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(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)