Since it's unknown which virus will become the next pandemic, these U of A scientists are preparing for a number of possibilities
When it comes to the numerous viruses that have the potential to spur the world's next pandemic, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach to planning medical treatment. But a one-size-fits-several solution may do the trick, a University of Alberta scientist says.
Matthias Götte, a virologist and chair of the U of A's medical microbiology and immunology department, is leading a team of about 15 people in Edmonton working on how to better prepare the world for the next pandemic.
"COVID-19 taught us a lot of lessons and we have to get better. We have to be better prepared; we have to respond quicker," he told CTV News Edmonton in a recent interview.
His idea is to have a drug template, of sorts, for each of the kinds of viruses that could lead to a pandemic.
Götte's team studies virus families that have "high" pandemic potential and the drugs that most effectively target each.
"As soon as a pandemic hits or an outbreak hits, you would like to have on-hand therapies or medical counter measures that work immediately," Götte said.
"When a new virus emerges that belongs to one of these families of viruses we're working on, we have a good starting point and can tailor to the new pathogen. That's the idea."
Götte and his team specifically study viral polymerase enzymes – a.k.a., the engine of the virus which drives it to replicate and spread.
According to Hery Lee, a third-year PhD student working under Götte, one of the questions they try to answer is: "After the virus has been targeted with a specific antiviral, how does the virus then respond?"
"Is it going to develop what we term as resistance?" she said. "So is the virus going to take from its arsenal something that can counteract the antivirals that we work with?"
The method has been successful in work treating chronic viral disease, like HIV and Hepatitis C, Götte noted.
"Now, we are trying to develop antiviral drugs by targeting the engine of the virus to other viruses, like Ebola."
Ebola belongs to the filovirus family, as does Marburg, which can cause severe hemorrhagic fever. Other virus families the U of A team is targeting include picornaviruses, which cause the common cold, and flaviviruses, the cause of yellow fever and dengue fever.
In a globalized world, more pandemics are likely, Götte believes.
But during previous outbreaks – such as of HIV, Hepatitis C, Ebola, and Zika – scientists "missed opportunities" to prepare in the same way he is working to now, the U of A professor says.
"There was a lot of funding in the beginning and then the virus disappeared and the funding disappeared, before we were actually able to cross the finish line. That should not happen again."
The U of A researchers are collaborating with colleagues in California and North Carolina under a program funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The new Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern, of which Götte's work is a part, are backed by nearly $600 million.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.