Researchers have created a high-throughput microfluidics-based platform for analysis of viral infection in single cells. According to the authors, they were able to observe previously unknown dynamics of viral infection and come up with a theory for a drug that only targets the fittest viruses in a population. Their findings were published this week in Cell Reports.
While traditional techniques look at viruses and drugs by studying a population of cells, the authors argue that single cell analysis can lead to revelations not possible on a population level. “Averages are fine when interested only in the efficacy of a drug, but studies on the single-cell level can tell you if particular members of the population are more susceptible to [a] treatment and when during the virus life cycle the treatment acts," said Craig Cameron, professor and holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Penn State and an author of the paper.
The researchers built a microfluidic device that allowed them to monitor up to 6,400 cells simultaneously. They used a modified form of poliovirus that produces green-fluorescent protein as the infecting virus. This set-up allowed them follow the time course and dynamics of viral infections.
Among the surprising findings were that different viral and cellular factors contribute to viral infection kinetics, replication start time can vary widely based on those factors and infection can begin faster and replication later than previously thought. The researchers believe these findings provide a compelling argument for the use of single cell analysis to understand dynamics not possible through population-level studies.
Image: Studying viral infections one cell at a time. A new microfluidic system allows researchers to study the time-course of a viral infection and the consequences of antiviral intervention in up to 6,400 individual cells simultaneously. Image courtesy of Penn State.