NanoViricides Inc. (NNVC)

[KMBJN]

Nice picture of Ebola virus, named after the river that flows in Zaire (Congo now) where the virus was first discovered. I'm wondering if the filamentous shape of the virus could potentially be a problem for nanoviricides, which "bind, encapsulate, and destroy." The thought occurred to me that such a long, winding shape could potentially be more difficult to encapsulate than the other more typically shaped viruses, that are approximately spherical or polyhedral in shape. I guess based on size, it would take many 30 nm nanoviricides to bind and fully encapsulate much larger viruses in any event.

Some other potential problems that make this a tricky virus:

VP24 blocks the body's interferon response:

http://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/abstract/S1931-3128%2814%2900263-7

Then the whole idea of protein decoys (secreted or soluble glycoproteins, sGP), which I've just started to read about, apparently block the body from forming antibodies against the GP proteins. The body forms antibodies against sGP instead, which are just decoys.

http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1003065

I guess the above authors say it's more than just a passive decoy, and they say the Ebola virus uses a novel defense mechanism against the host immune system called "antigenic subversion." Instead of blocking antiGP1 and antiGP2 antibodies (being absorbed by sGP), they think that Ebola instead directs more production of anti-sGP antibodies (versus the more deadly to the virus anti-GP1,2 antibodies).

The key to improving EbolaCide might be to make sure the EbolaCide ligand is specific for GP protein, but not sGP. N-terminus of GP1 is the receptor binding domain, which EbolaCide1 may have targeted. Unfortunately, the ligand may also have bound sGP.

Perhaps the way to tweak the ligand is to mimic another receptor used by the virus, NPC1, in the new and improved EbolaCide2. Such a nanoviricide with NPC1 receptor ligand could be efficacious against all filoviruses, including Marburg.

Well, it's fun to learn how this virus works and speculate how EbolaCide2 will use the knowledge gained to produce something better. Let's hope Diwan comes up with something good!