GEELONG, Australia, July 29 (UPI) -- Australian and U.S. researchers have made a breakthrough in efforts to combat two deadly viruses that could be used as bioweapons.
Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Australian Animal Health Laboratory and the National Cancer Institute isolated the functional receptor for the Nipah and Hendra viruses -- naturally occurring and highly pathogenic paramyxoviruses for which no treatments or vaccines are currently available.
Christopher C. Broder, a professor in USU's Department of Microbiology, and his NIH-funded team of researchers and investigators demonstrated that a cell surface protein called Ephrin-B2 is a functional receptor for both the Hendra and Nipah viruses.
"In addition to our concern about Nipah and Hendra viruses as emerging global health and economic threats, we worry about their potential use as bioterror agents," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
