Clark School 'Virus Sponge' Could Improve Flu Treatments, Diabetes Care, Vaccine Development
COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Influenza virus
H5N1, which caused the recent outbreak of avian flu, may have a new enemy.
Researchers at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of
Engineering have created a "virus sponge" that could filter a patient's
blood in a process similar to kidney dialysis, removing the virus from the
patient's body. The concept could also be used to make vaccine production
more efficient and in a pill to reduce glucose levels in diabetics, among
other applications.
The virus sponge is based on a technology called molecular imprinting.
In molecular imprinting, researchers stamp a molecule's shape into a
substance (in this case, a hydrogel -- a material that looks like a powder
when dry; and like Jell-O when wet). When the specific molecule filters
through the hydrogel, it fits in the imprint hole and is trapped.
The research group of Peter Kofinas, a professor in the Clark School's
Fischell Department of Bioengineering, is the first to apply molecular
imprinting to the capture of viruses, and to show that this approach is
possible using an inexpensive hydrogel.
Kofinas's team has so far used this technique on plant viruses and
Human Parvovirus B19, which causes "fifth disease" in babies, and has now
begun work on the H5N1 influenza virus.
"This new technology could be integrated into hospitals and healthcare
centers at minimal cost," according to Kofinas. Modifying existing dialysis
machines to include the virus sponge technology would be relatively simple,
he said.
"This virus removal device can be used the same way as a kidney
dialysis machine," Kofinas continued. "If you have a viral infection, you
can go to the hospital and have your blood cleaned of that virus."
While a new vaccine must be developed each year for the strain of
influenza that is expected to be the most potent, a hydrogel can be
imprinted as a universal filter for all flu strains. However, to achieve
better performance, a hydrogel filter can also be produced to catch a
particular strain of the virus.
The molecular imprinting process has many applications beyond trapping
viruses.
"Applying the technology to a drug or food additive could contribute to
the dietary freedom of those who suffer from type II diabetes," Kofinas
said.
A pill containing the hydrogels could be developed to remove excess
sugars when taken with food, thus helping diabetics regulate their diet,
Kofinas explained. The hydrogels would work within the small intestine to
remove glucose prior to absorption into the blood stream.
Drug manufacturers could use the hydrogel filters in vaccine
production. Pharmaceutical companies use viruses to create the vaccines
that fight them. Hydrogels could be used to strip the virus out of the
finished medication -- a process that is currently very time-consuming and
expensive.
Another potential application is to use the material as a filter in
masks for those needing protection in case of biological warfare or other
harmful biological agent exposure.
Kofinas has filed a patent on this technology. Currently, he is
collaborating with researchers at the National Institutes of Health on how
to use the hydrogels to clean human viruses out of blood. Advances in this
area could help ensure a safer blood supply by allowing for the low-cost
removal of viruses like hepatitis and HIV from donor blood.
Kofinas is also associate chair and director of graduate studies in the
Fischell Department of Bioengineering. His graduate students, Linden
Bolisay, Brendan Casey, Angela Fu and Daniel Janiak, continue to contribute
to this research.
More Information:
Peter Kofinas' Research Projects:
glue.umd.edu
About the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The Clark School of Engineering, situated on the rolling, 1,500-acre
University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., is one of the premier
engineering schools in the U.S.
The Clark School's graduate programs are collectively the fastest
rising in the nation. In U.S. News & World Report's annual rating of
graduate programs, the school is 15th among public and private programs
nationally, 9th among public programs nationally and first among public
programs in the mid- Atlantic region. The School offers 13 graduate
programs and 12 undergraduate programs, including degree and certification
programs tailored for working professionals.
The school is home to one of the most vibrant research programs in the
country. With major emphasis in key areas such as communications and
networking, nanotechnology, bioengineering, reliability engineering,
project management, intelligent transportation systems and space robotics,
as well as electronic packaging and smart small systems and materials, the
Clark School is leading the way toward the next generations of engineering
advances.
Visit the Clark School homepage at eng.umd.edu.
SOURCE A. James Clark School of Engineering
prnewswire.com
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This strikes me (!) as a close (?) cousin, brother or twin even, to our targeted ligand/micelle approach to virus entrapment.
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Ref:
Peter Kofinas
Current Research Projects
Lab Website: fml.umd.edu
Biomimetic Recognition of Viruses Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
Molecular imprinting is an emerging technology, which allows the synthesis of materials containing highly specific receptors sites. These receptor sites have an affinity for a special target compound, which is the result of the presence of appropriately arranged functional groups in a mechanically stable matrix, thus allowing functionality and stereochemistry to be simultaneously exploited in molecular recognition processes. Ideally, these receptor sites have a significantly lesser affinity for analogues of the target compound and for dissimilar compounds. The goal of this research is to develop molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP), which can be used as a virus filter, virus mask, or virus sensor. The MIPs are produced using hydrogel and block copolymer synthetic techniques. The entrapment of a given virus template within the MIP and its subsequent removal produces molecular cavities whose shape and functionality induce the preferential binding of the templated virus. The imprinting process imparts enzyme-analogous properties to these MIPs, enabling them to accommodate similar viruses with modest structural and genome variations. The development of a virus imprinted MIP is applicable to the identification, classification, and removal of viruses. This is currently a very difficult task, but the need is widespread in diverse sectors, including homeland security, gene therapy, human and animal health, crop protection, and biologics production. The methodologies for the synthesis of MIPs thus offer exciting avenues for the development of novel biorecognition techniques and bioterrorism protection technologies.
glue.umd.edu |
