RAPID: Tackling Critical Issues in the Ebola Epidemic through Modeling: Viral Evolution

Regents Of The University Of Idaho, Moscow ID

Investigators

Abstract

Whether evolution of the Ebola virus will lead to changes in infectivity is currently unknown. During the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, evidence suggests that the virus has had a higher rate of genetic change, substitution rate, than in prior outbreaks. The investigators will study how genetic evolution may make the virus more or less infectious, how it will either help or hinder the human immune response to Ebola virus infections, and how viral evolution will impact existing and future therapies. The region of interest on the Ebola genome encodes for a glycoprotein that is located on the surface of the virus and infected cells. It is an important target for neutralizing antibodies and changes in its function and morphology could impact antibody recognition. The investigators will determine the functional implications from the recent and historic evolution of the Ebola virus, as well as model all possible mutations that could interrupt binding between the glycoprotein and antibodies but that would not significantly reduce folding stability. This research will provide health agencies an essential "watch list" of potential Ebola virus mutations with corresponding predictions of how these mutations are expected to impact the disease process.