Scientists Genetically Disarm Ebola Virus

Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - A team of scientists, including savants from the University of Tokyo, have successfully disarmed for the first time the fatal Ebola virus. By disarming the virus, reducing it to a set of specialized cells, it opens the door for researchers to study it further without exposing themselves to the risk of contracting the virus themselves.

The findings were published Tuesday in the weekly journal National Academy of Sciences. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a University of Tokyo professor and part of the Ebola virus research team, said the disarmed virus could be used for drug screening and vaccine production.

The Ebola virus is not only a public health menace in Africa, it is also a potential biological weapon which could cause hemorrhagic fever among humans and primates. Those afflicted with the virus often die from contact.

So far only six laboratories around the world have the capability to reduce the virus to its highest level of biosafety, which is a major requirement to experiment on potential drugs or vaccines against a virus.

"The system devised by Kawaoka and his colleagues could provide a way to greatly expand studies of the pathogen and speed the development of countermeasures," the journal said.