URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Winter_2015_Melissa-McCarthy

He works in partnership with Dr. Annie De Groot, director of iCubed, CEO of Epivax, and research professor at URI. De Groot established iCubed in 2008. She has since made the notable discovery of Tregitope, a small peptide and component of immunoglobulin G that acts as an immune response ‘off switch.’ Her work also has offered insights into epitopes involved in the development of a universal H1N1 influenza vaccine. De Groot says, “I think that we’re at the forefront in terms of using immunoinformatic tools to develop better vaccines. What we can expect moving forward is that basic discoveries we’re making in the laboratory and at URI will contribute to the development of more effective and safer vaccines for human and animal use. “I see us moving toward a point where we’ll be able to make vaccines on demand using our tools. If you need a vaccine because you’re going to the hospital or you’re going into the field and there’s a new pathogen out there, and nobody knew what to do with it before, we’ll be able to sequence it, put it into a computer program, and develop a vaccine for you on the spot.”

Alan Rothman, physician and professor of cell and molecular biology

The Impact of Dengue in Rhode Island

Although not considered an outbreak risk for people in Rhode Island, cases of dengue have been reported in the United States. For example, there have been cases in travelers returning to Rhode Island, and every year there are a few dozen cases reported in New York City. Furthermore, the research is revealing similarities in viral infections that make potential findings in this field relevant for New England residents.

Dengue is part of the family of viruses called Flaviviruses, which includes viruses such as West Nile Virus. Mechanisms involved in Dengue Shock Syndrome have been observed in other viral infections. For example, severe influenza is believed to be a disease caused by an immune response similar to dengue. Rothman explains, “The things that we learn in this peculiar case with Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever have parallels for these other diseases.

What we learn about these immunological diseases in general will have implications for the population in our state. People in Rhode Island traveling in different parts of the world do come in contact with dengue virus so there’s a need, even in the population of Rhode Island, for a vaccine that’s effective against dengue virus.”

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Dengue analyzer

References: [1] CDC: Global Alert and Response (GAR) – Impact of Dengue [Internet}. c2014 Available from www.who.int/csr/disease/ dengue/impact/en/

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