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New mRNA and gene editing tools offer hope for dengue virus treatment
Context:
A biomedical engineering team has developed a new therapy using CRISPR-Cas13 to target and destroy the dengue virus.
More on News:
- The study describes how this mRNA-based therapy targets and degrades the dengue virus in mice.
- The team previously demonstrated this technology in treatments for lung diseases, including a coronavirus treatment using inhalable polymeric nanoparticles.
The Need for Effective Dengue Virus Treatment
- It is a mosquito-borne infection prevalent in tropical regions and is rapidly expanding its reach, with around 4 billion people now living in areas at risk.
- This includes places like the southeastern United States, where effective antiviral treatments are still lacking.
- It has four different serotypes, complicating treatment and vaccine development. Each serotype is a distinct version of the virus.
- Infection with one serotype does not confer immunity to the others. Subsequent infections with a different serotype can exacerbate the disease, leading to more severe symptoms.
- Symptoms typically include fever, nausea, rash, and aches and pains, especially behind the eyes. In severe cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, shock, and even death.
- Management primarily focuses on supportive care to alleviate symptoms and address complications.
Key Highlights:
- They utilised lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) for delivering the treatment. LNPs are tiny, fat-like bubbles that can transport drugs through the bloodstream and into cells.
- The LNPs were loaded with custom-coded mRNA that instructed the cells to produce Cas13a (CRISPR protein that can slice viral RNA) and guide RNAs to direct Cas13a to the viral targets.
- A single dose of the CRISPR-based treatment was effective against lethal doses of two dengue virus serotypes (DENV-2 and DENV-3). All treated mice survived, and no virus was detected in their brains.
- The team plans to test their approach on other dengue serotypes to broaden the treatment’s applicability.
Significance and Implications:
- With the spread of Aedes mosquitoes, which transmit dengue and other viruses, this treatment is timely and relevant.
- Researchers noted that climate change is contributing to the proliferation of these mosquitoes, highlighting the importance of developing effective treatments.
- While dengue typically does not affect the human brain, the technique could be crucial for treating other viruses that do, such as Zika, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus.
