Ebola research at Texas Biomed gets NIH funding boost

Two new grants support research exploring how Ebola virus spreads in the body with implication for targeted viral treatments.

Shtanko is also excited to explore a possible alternative mode of spread — tunneling nanotubes, dynamic connections between cells, which allow cells to communicate by exchanging content over relatively long distances (up to 200 microns). While these structures have been shown to play a prominent role in promoting neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and spread of a variety of viruses, including HIV-1 and influenza, no one is known to have investigated their role in disseminating Ebola and related viruses.