WSU Secures $1.2 Million Grant for Groundbreaking HSV Research

January 25, 2024 - In a significant stride against viral infections, a team of researchers at Washington State University (WSU) is focusing on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to understand the process of virus fusion. Funded by a four-year $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the project aims to stop viruses like HSV-1 before they cause infections in their hosts.

The research, co-led by professors Jin Liu and Prashanta Dutta at the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture and professor Anthony Nicola at the College of Veterinary Medicine, focuses on the moment a virus merges with a cell to initiate an infection – a process known as virus fusion. "Virus fusion is a highly complex, multistage and multiscale process.

The associated protein interactions and structural changes are extremely complicated and high-dimensional", said Liu, the lead investigator on the project. "A combination of knowledge from different disciplines, and expertise from both state-of-the-art numerical modeling and biological experiments, is the key to tackle down the problem."

Developing a Physics-Based Machine Learning Method

The team is developing a physics-based machine learning method and multiscale model to simulate cell-virus interactions and expedite the research.

This approach is not data-driven machine learning as used by most scientists and engineers.

Instead, their novel machine learning algorithm captures important biological phenomena from fundamental physics and chemistry.

In this collaborative project, Ryan Odstrcil and Amir Birjandi, both PhD students in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, are leading the modeling and simulation research.

Meanwhile, PhD student Albina Makio, a member of WSU’s Immunology and Infectious Disease graduate student program, is leading the experimental research by staging and observing these cell-virus interactions in the laboratory.

The experimentally validated computational models developed by the team may provide critical, new insights and guidance to new experiments. The results from the research will improve our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of virus fusion and facilitate the development of antiviral vaccines and treatments.

A Significant Step Towards Understanding and Combating Viral Infections

This groundbreaking research represents a significant step towards understanding and combating viral infections. "The experiments are done using herpes simplex virus type 1, but the knowledge and strategies will be applicable to many other viruses that infect cells a similar way, such as HIV and SARS-CoV-2.", in the words of profesor Liu.

The team’s innovative approach could potentially revolutionize the way we understand and treat viral infections in the future.