The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world. Grief for the ones we lost still hangs in the air like dark clouds. The wounds may never fully heal; however, as always, clouds do have silver linings that show us the way forward. We have seen unprecedented scientific collaborations during these troubled times that have resulted in accelerated discoveries, and no single invention has had more impact than the vaccines developed in record time against SARS-CoV2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Instead of containing weakened viruses to elicit the production of appropriate antibodies, some of the vaccines contain DNA molecules that tell the body to make spike proteins present on the coronavirus. These spike proteins fool our immune system into thinking that there is an infection and making antibodies to combat the virus, thus boosting immunity against COVID-19. Since, DNA cannot be directly injected into cells, a major challenge was to find a vehicle to deliver these molecules to the right place.
What works as a vehicle? Surprisingly, virus particles do the job. Yes, a virus to fight another virus! Viruses can be deadly, but we can use them as weapons to wage wars against malicious viruses or life-threatening diseases like cancer. Like missiles carrying deadly payloads, a wide range of animal viruses including influenza, adenovirus, and herpes simplex virus can be used to carry drugs or gene therapies to the desired locations in the cell.
Yes, a virus to fight another virus!
A virus can be thought of as a nanoparticle due to its tiny size. A nanoparticle is as small as thousand-millionth of a meter – it’s how much your nail grows in a second. Scientists design genes and deliver them to cells to cure genetic disorders. They remove the native genetic content from the virus and insert the engineered gene in its place. Like many other nanoparticles – such as gold and platinum nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and protein nanoparticles, a viral nanoparticle can cross biological barriers which are impermeable to most drugs. Viral vectors also ensure gene or drug delivery to the target cells. It minimizes the likelihood of unwanted spread of vectors and its subsequent risks.
To date, many therapies that have gone to clinical trials have used viruses as cargo to transport genetic material. Let’s begin with the example of Benny and Josh – two siblings from Israel. They have a fatal genetic disorder, known as Canavan disease. Patients with this disorder carry a broken copy of a gene known as ASPA. The correct copy of the gene produces an enzyme that helps in nerve development. Since, the broken copy of ASPA cannot produce this enzyme, its absence results in defects in the development of nerves, which can render the patient unable to speak or control their limbs, which is why Benny and his brother Josh spent their childhood in wheelchairs. Their distressed parents – both scientists took up the challenge in 2021. They inserted the correct copy of the ASPA gene inside an adeno virus vector, and despite the risk, injected the gene into their children. We hope their gamble pays off soon.
A 58-year-old blind man (name withheld) had been suffering from retinitis pigmentosa for the past forty years. This degenerative disease destroys the light sensing abilities of the retina. He had a genetic mutation that generated abnormally structured proteins, which damaged his retinal tissue, rendering him blind. Scientists took the correct form of the gene from algae and delivered it to his retina with the help of viral vectors. The man at first noticed no effect but was gradually able to identify shapes and perceive outlines while wearing specially engineered goggles. With further training, he was able to count dark-colored cups and understand how far an object had been placed from him.
Cancer can also be cured using viruses. Some viruses can efficiently obliterate cancer cells by breaking them open. This unusual event activates immune cells that attack other cancer cells in the body and amplify the defense response against the deadly disease. Scientists have used virus and virus-like particles to treat neuronal, cardio-vascular, and auto-immune diseases. Adeno-associated viruses are one of the most popular vehicles to deliver cargo and have been widely used to cure neuronal diseases. If you took the COVID-19 vaccine, you were injected with adeno-associated viral nanoparticles that work as a vehicle to deliver the spike-protein DNA.
If you took the COVID-19 vaccine you were injected with adeno-associated viral nanoparticles that work as a vehicle to deliver the spike-protein DNA
Nuclear bombs hibernate in silos all around the world, ready to wreck unforeseen havoc on humanity. Nuclear reactors on the other hand offer perhaps the only long-term hope for sustaining human civilization. In a similar vein, viruses that bring human societies to a screeching halt and unleash untold miseries upon them also hold the key to miracle cures that might save millions. The choice is ours!
Author:
Madhurima Pattanayak is a science writer, interested in science journalism, based in Kolkata, India. She received her Master’s degree in Botany from Savitribai Phule Pune University. She studied the conglomerations of bacteria and gold nanoparticles called bio-nano composites and explored their applications in biosensing at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta. Then, she took a break from scientific research and shifted her attention to science communication with the goal of disseminating scientific awareness among the general public and make science more accessible. Madhurima is also an artist who loves creating science-based comics. When she is not at work, she is either wandering the hills or headbanging at a rock concert!
Co-author and Editor:
Saurja DasGupta is originally from Kolkata, India. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, where he studied the structure, function, and evolution of catalytic RNA. He is currently doing his postdoctoral research at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, where he is trying to understand the biochemical milieu that could have given birth to life on earth (and elsewhere) and reconstruct primitive cells. One of his scientific dreams is to observe the spontaneous emergence of Darwinian evolution in a chemical system. When not thinking about science, Saurja pursues his love for the written word through poetry and song-writing (and meditating on Leonard Cohen’s music). His other passions are trying to make science easier to understand, and fighting unreason and pseudoscientific thinking with a mixture of calm compassion and swashbuckling spirit.
Guest editor:
Ananya Sen is currently a science writer at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. She completed her Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2021. She is an ardent reader and will happily discuss anything from Jane Austen to Gillian Flynn. Her travel goals include covering all the national parks in the U.S. with her sidekick Oscar, a Schnauzer/Pomeranian mix.
Illustrator:
Andreia Rocha did her M.Sc. at Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal, in Oncobiology and moved to Vienna to complete her thesis at IMBA where she studied stem cells and focused on working with organoids while using them as cancer models. Currently, she is a research assistant at JLP Health, a startup company based in Vienna, Austria. She is also passionate about communicating science through art and illustration and wishes to combine the two careers in the future. You can visit her website and follow her on instagram.
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