Texas Biomed Part of Research Efforts to Screen and Develop Ebola Virus Drug

Dr. Robert Davey, a scientist at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, is part of a team of researchers working to find new drugs that will stop Ebola virus from growing inside infected cells. Dr. Christopher Basler, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $4.1 million federal grant for this project. Davey and his team will work closely with Basler to validate all new drugs identified in the effort. The work will involve seeing if the drugs block infection of cells by live Ebola virus and will be done in the biosafety level 4 laboratory at TxBiomed.

Dr. Robert Davey. Courtesy of Texas Biomedical Research Institute

Dr. Robert Davey, a scientist at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, is part of a team of researchers working to find new drugs that will stop Ebola virus from growing inside infected cells. Dr. Christopher Basler, a professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has received a five-year, $4.1 million federal grant for this project. Davey and his team will work closely with Basler to validate all new drugs identified in the effort. The work will involve seeing if the drugs block infection of cells by live Ebola virus and will be done in the biosafety level 4 laboratory at TxBiomed.

“I am very excited to continue our cutting edge work with Dr. Basler,” Davey said. “The way these viruses replicate is an Achilles heel that should be easily exploited, but up to now we have not had the tools to do the drug screen. Dr. Basler’s screening platform lets us do this for the first time and our expertise with live virus will help to prove their potential for treatment.”

More information on the grant project can be found in a news release from Georgia State University.

Source: Texas Biomedical Research Institute