Scientists discover new method Ebola virus uses to infect cells

Researchers find that Ebola virus creates the very tunnels it uses to hide and move within the human body Understanding how viruses travel once inside the human body is critical to develop effective drugs and therapies that can stop viruses in their tracks. Scientists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed) recently published findings in the Journal of Infectious Diseases indicating that Ebola virus creates and uses intercellular tunnels to move from cell to cell and evade treatments. “Our findings suggest that the virus can create its hiding place, hide and then move to new cells and replicate,” says Olena Shtanko, PhD, an Assistant Professor at Texas Biomed and senior paper author. Specifically, the virus is generating something called tunneling nanotubes – dynamic connections between cells that allow the cells to communicate by exchanging particles over relatively long distances, up to 200 microns. While these structures have been shown to play a prominent...