Tag: Stephen C. Harrison

  • Health

    RNA sequence restrains fatal encephalitis

    One short sequence of RNA protected mice from deadly brain inflammation caused by West Nile virus and Japanese encephalitis virus, report Priti Kumar, Manjunath Swamy, and Premlata Shankar. The findings, which appear online and in the April 2006 PLoS Medicine, underscore the therapeutic potential of the fast-moving field of RNA interference. It has only been…

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  • Health

    Learning how the SARS virus spikes its quarry

    Structural images that show how the SARS virus’s spike protein grasps its receptor may help scientists learn new details about how the virus infects cells and could also help in identifying potential weak points that novel drugs or vaccines could exploit. A worldwide SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2002-2003 affected more than 8,000…

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  • Campus & Community

    Scientists reveal key clue to how HIV infects cells

    Harvard researchers have shown for the first time the critical “before” structure of an AIDS virus protein that plays a key role in the virus’ infection of cells. The protein, called gp120, is responsible for binding to target immune system cells. Once the protein binds to the cell, it changes its shape, allowing a second…

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  • Health

    Images reveal how leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea enters cells

    The work illustrates how vaccine development can advance by probing the physical architecture of viruses and finding the parts needed to prime the immune system. Rotavirus, which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting, infects most children, causes gastroenteritis that sometimes requires hospitalization, and kills about 440,000 children each year. The only licensed vaccine, RotaShield, was discontinued…

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  • Campus & Community

    3-D images reveal key step in viral entry into cells

    Work published in the Jan. 22, 2004, issue of Nature is a significant advance in the understanding of how viruses cause infection, and offers two possible strategies for blocking these infections with antiviral drugs or vaccines. The research involved a major category of viruses known as “enveloped” viruses, so called because of their fatty outer…

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