A team led by researchers at Yale University have developed a new RNA therapy against West Nile virus that helps the immune system fight and develop protection against the disease. The work was published in Cell Host & Microbe yesterday.
The team focused on a small interfering RNA molecule that acts against multiple mosquito-borne flaviviruses and was in developed in Priti Kumar, M.D.'s lab. The group packaged the molecule in a peptide derived from the rabies virus so that it could enter nerve cells. They then delivered the therapy through the nose so that it could skip the barriers that protect the brain.
Their findings show that the therapy reduced virus levels in the brain and prevented harm to nerve cells. Compared to mice that were given a placebo, the mice that were administered the therapy had a 90% survival rate a few days after infection. In fact, in the mice that survived, the immune system was able to rid of the virus throughout the body and provide long-term protection.
It "prevents pathology in the brain and gives the mice a chance to develop a robust immune response," said Kumar.
Since the anatomy of a murine nose is different from humans, the team is now looking to see if they can apply the therapy more broadly for other mosquito-borne diseases.
"In translation, it should be an effective strategy for people," Kumar said.