NIH grant supports research on dangerous emerging virus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, or CCHFV, is a biosafety level 4 pathogen and a Category A bioterrorism agent, causing severe viral hemorrhagic fever with mortality rates reaching up to 40%. Already endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and much of Asia, the virus has recently expanded to Western Europe, carried by ticks on migratory birds. There is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral therapy for CCHFV.

Scott Pegan, a professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, has now been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health of about $3.4 million over five years to lead an international study focused on developing protective antibodies against CCHFV.

Designated a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, CCHFV is considered the reference virus for the nairovirus genus, which includes emerging pathogens such as Benji, Songling, Wetland, Yezo, and the Pacific Coast tick nairovirus.

"The rapid geographic spread and severity of CCHFV infections call for urgent, coordinated research efforts," said Pegan, the principal investigator on the multi-institutional project that began this month. "This project will identify broadly protective antibody candidates that can be developed into potential therapies."

The research brings together an interdisciplinary and international team to tackle one of the world's most dangerous emerging viral threats. The team includes co-principal investigator Dr. Mohammad Sajadi, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine; and co-investigators Aura Garrison and Joseph Golden, who are research microbiologists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, a long-time leader in hemorrhagic fever virus research.

The project will study survivors of CCHFV in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Uganda to find antibodies that protect against the virus. The team will also explore how the immune system fights the virus and work to develop monoclonal antibody treatments that are effective against different strains for future testing. A monoclonal antibody is a type of lab-made protein that mimics the immune system's ability to fight harmful viruses or bacteria.

"By focusing on non-traditional viral targets, our approach could lead to new, life-saving therapeutics and help establish a framework for addressing future nairovirus outbreaks," Pegan said.

Other partners on the project include scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Uganda Virus Research Institute, Hitit University in Turkey, and South Kazakhstan Medical Academy.

Header image credit: Md Saiful Islam Khan/iStock/Getty Images Plus.