Ebola virus. Just the mention of the word can make one’s blood run cold.
It is a frightening, rare, deadly disease that recently ravaged multiple countries in West Africa
and eventually reached the U.S through cross-continental travel. And here in Winona, one WSU faculty member is working with students to develop new, more efficient vaccines to fight the virus.
Ebola virus first emerged in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, outbreaks have appeared sporadically in Africa. The 2014 Ebola epidemic was the largest in history, with more than 10,000 people infected, over 5,000 deaths, and likely many more going unreported.
Ebola virus is caused by infection that is spread through direct contact with an actively infected person. Researchers reported in the Journal of Science that the most recent West African variant can be traced genetically to a single introduction, a person infected by a fruit bat. The virus mortality rate nears 90% without treatment.
Several Ebola vaccines have been trialed, but there is no FDA- approved medication or vaccine available in the U.S. Winona State University Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Osvaldo Martinez hopes to change that.
Martinez’s ongoing research, for which he has received a WSU Foundation Special Projects Grant two years in a row, focuses on the Ebola virus as an emerging pathogen. He believes that by understanding how the Ebola virus targets human immune system cells, scientists can develop better vaccines—not just against the Ebola virus, but other potential pathogens as well.
Originally from Mexico City, Martinez earned his undergraduate degree and Master of Science from McGill University in Montreal, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago, with a concentration in Microbiology and Immunology. “Emerging viruses have always been something I was interested in,” said Martinez, whose doctoral thesis focused on the deregulation of immune cells in the development of an auto- immune disorder called Grave’s Disease.
Prior to accepting a position at WSU two years ago, Martinez worked at Mount Sinai School of Medicine under renowned virus researcher Dr. Christopher Basler. Martinez, using his background in immunology, worked on understanding the mechanisms by which the Ebola virus interacts and deregulates immune cells. After working alongside Basler for several years, Martinez was ready to strike out on his own, determined to further his research.
“What I brought to the WSU table was an understanding of host pathogen regulation and interactions, and antigen presenting cells,” Martinez explained. “Immune cells, such as antigen- presenting cells, act as sentinels in the body. They search out potential pathogens. Their goal is to identify danger and initiate an immune response to eventually eliminate the pathogen.”
Both infections and vaccinations stimulate the initiation of an immune response. In other words, the very same immune cells important for the development of a strong protective immune response against an infecting pathogen are also responsible for the development of a strong protective vaccine response. One reason the Ebola virus is so deadly is that it targets and deregulates the functions of immune cells and blocks their ability to initiate a proper protective immune response. Martinez’s research seeks to understand more about how the Ebola virus targets the body’s immune cells. Armed with this knowledge, he can focus on ways to enhance vaccines and develop new, more efficient vaccines that also directly target immune cells, but in this case to help initiate a strong protective immune response.
Due to the virulent, extremely dangerous nature of Ebola virus, a highly specialized lab is required to grow and study live Ebola virus. To perform experiments with the live Ebola virus, Martinez collaborates with researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Frederick, Md. Here in his lab at WSU, Martinez works with virus-like particles (VLPs), which are biochemically and morphologically similar to the parental virus but do not replicate and are therefore safe to work with and even use as vaccines.
The Student Factor
“With the help of the WSU Foundation grant, I recruited WSU students, Laura Zeamer, Ashton Krogman, Peng Yin, and Cody Plaisance to specifically work on the development of an enhanced VLP vaccine,” Martinez continued. “Zeamer worked with me for three semesters and presented the progress of the project to the University and WSU Foundation, as well as to the Minnesota State Legislature in St. Paul. The long-term goals are to publish the study with undergraduate authors, apply for external funding and to test the ensuing virus-like particles (VLPs) vaccine candidate
in vivo using models,” said Martinez. “We aim to develop novel virus-like, adaptable particle vaccines.”
The goal is to understand the cell response in order to develop new, more efficient vaccines. By enhancing vaccines and making them more efficient, a smaller amount of the vaccine is required per treatment, leading to a more cost-effective treatment.
“Undergraduates are truly engaged and excited to be working on this enhanced vaccine project,” Martinez stated. “Our department and the university believe it is important that students experience hands-on meaningful research.”
Zeamer, a biology major, came to Winona because of the strong science program. The Jackson, Wis., native had her mind set on a degree in the medical field and was introduced to Martinez when she was looking for a Capstone project to complete her studies.
“I didn’t know what to expect, working with Dr. Martinez, but it (his vaccine research) sounded so cool,” Zeamer said. “To know what actually goes into developing a vaccine is fascinating. We were creating cells, splitting them… He let us do the research but was always available when we had questions. He is passionate about his work and very knowledgeable, and was so good at breaking it down and explaining it all to us.”
The hands-on experience Zeamer and the other students received was priceless. “Dr. Martinez was such a wonderful influence on us,” commented Zeamer. “He is doing amazing things and to think that I had a little part in this – it was so fascinating.” After graduating with honors May 8, Zeamer almost immediately began a Physician’s Assistant graduate program, which she plans to complete in one year. Her lab experiences with Martinez’s research project are certain to be an asset to her future endeavors.
Martinez plans to recruit new scientific researchers to support his work at WSU. “We feel that with a few more key experiments required to solidify the merits of this project, I will be able to secure their cooperation in pushing this project forward,” he said. “And the data may soon be strong enough to apply for external funding from the federal government (the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health), due to its possible medical application.”
The research arena is a complicated one, requiring ongoing funding sources, government compliance, dedication, determination, and tenacity. Research also carries with it a high liability, which makes progress expensive. To secure funders (aka pharmaceutical companies and capital investors) to respond to a project and support research, the end result must prove profitable.
WSU Foundation funds will be used to bring the Martinez research project to the “next” level, at which time Martinez can present his project results to his partner in the Army, and collaborators from Mount Sinai.
“The data has to be tested and the results repeated again and again in order to see if it actually works efficiently and effectively,” Martinez explained. “The goal is to present the data to other collaborators, eventually reaching the clinical trial stage to measure efficacy.”
Thus far, the preliminary data indicates that the process works on cells better than previous versions of the (Ebola) vaccine. “Successful publications and grants will further expose the merits of the university and the good work the WSU Foundation funds,” commented Martinez. “But further, and perhaps more importantly, it will expose undergraduates to all the possibilities of pursuing higher learning and will further make them appreciate their time at WSU.”
