Cleveland Clinic Establishes Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens Research

Cleveland Clinic is establishing the Center for Global and Emerging Pathogens Research to broaden understanding of emerging pathogens – ranging from Zika virus to SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) – and to expedite critically needed treatments and vaccines.

The new center has been in the planning stages for 18 months and will span Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute and the soon-to-open Cleveland Clinic Florida Research and Innovation Center (FRIC) in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Zika Virus’ Key into Brain Cells ID’d, Leveraged to Block Infection and Kill Cancer Cells

Two different UC San Diego research teams identified the same molecule — αvβ5 integrin — as Zika virus’ key to brain cell entry. They found ways to take advantage of the integrin to both block Zika virus from infecting cells and turn it into something good: a way to shrink brain cancer stem cells.

Researchers discover how Zika virus remodels its host cell to boost viral production

Researchers in China have discovered how a Zika virus protein reshapes its host cell to aid viral replication. The study, which will be published December 23 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that the viral protein NS1 converts an interior cellular compartment called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) into a protective region where the virus can survive and replicate. Blocking this process could be a novel therapeutic strategy to treat patients infected with Zika or similar viral pathogens, such as the yellow fever and dengue viruses.