Context: Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV), Thonnakkal, Thiruvananthapuram, have developed a novel way of generating non-infectious Nipah virus-like particles (VLPs) in the laboratory, which mimic the wild type Nipah virus (NiV).

• This new method offers an alternate, safe and effective platform for developing neutralizing antibodies against NiV in a biosafety level-2 (BSL) laboratory. 

Key-highlights of the research

• This breakthrough provides a safer platform for research and development of treatments against the deadly Nipah virus (NiV) in a BSL-2 laboratory.

• It brings researchers closer to developing monoclonal antibodies and antivirals against NiV and similar pathogens.

Characteristics of VLPs

• VLPs closely resemble viruses but are non-infectious as they contain no viral genetic material.

• They carry most of the virus's characteristics, making them valuable tools for studying viral binding, entry kinetics, and immune responses.

HiBiT-Tagged NiV-VLPs

• Scientists created "HiBiT-tagged" Nipah virus-like particles (NiV-VLPs) using plasmid-based expression systems.

• These VLPs are identical to the native virus but cannot replicate.

• The inclusion of a highly sensitive HiBiT tag accelerates their potential in antiviral drug screening and vaccine development.

• HiBiT-tagged VLPs offer reduced risks compared to using native viruses in research assays.

• This method is applicable to other virulent pathogens and is advantageous for studying BSL-3/BSL-4 level viruses in lower bio-containment levels.

• Virus neutralization assays are critical for the development and evaluation of vaccines and immunotherapeutics, as well as for conducting basic research into the immune response and pathogenesis of NiV.

• Virus-like particles (VLPs) are molecules that closely resemble viruses, but are non-infectious because they contain no viral genetic material.

About Nipah Virus

• The zoonotic virus Nipah is a highly pathogenic paramyxovirus, with a fatality rate of up to 80% in affected humans.

• Nipah virus is a highly contagious and often deadly virus that can infect both humans and animals. 

• It belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae, genusHenipavirus.

• Nipah virus was first identified in Malaysia in 1998 when it caused an outbreak of severe respiratory and neurological illness in pigs and a subsequent outbreak in humans.

• Transmission: It spreads through contact with infected animals, contaminated food, or direct human-to-human contact.

• Symptoms: It causes fever, headache, and vomiting, and can lead to severe encephalitis with a high mortality rate.

• Geographic Distribution: Nipah virus outbreaks have occurred in South and Southeast Asia, primarily in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and India.

• Animal Reservoir: Fruit bats, especially flying foxes, are natural carriers of the virus.

About VLPs

• VLPs carry most of the characteristics of the virus, except their ability to replicate (because it lacks the viral genome). 

• VLPs have long been recognised as effective quantitative platforms for studying viral binding and entry kinetics of the virus.

• The advent of NanoBiT technology and “HiBiT-tagged” VLP (HiBiT is an 11 amino acid peptide ) makes it far more sophisticated.

• The genome of the NiV encodes six major proteins: glycoprotein (G), fusion protein (F), matrix (M), nucleocapsid (N), long polymerase (L) and phosphoprotein (P).

• IAV scientists generated “HiBiT-tagged” Nipah virus-like particles (NiV-VLPs) using plasmid-based expression systems, encoding the NiV structural proteins G, F, and M.

• The VLPs thus produced were morphologically and functionally identical to the native virus.

• The inclusion of a highly sensitive HiBiT tag on these VLPs accelerates their potential in antiviral drug screening and vaccine development.

Its advantages

• The concept of generating VLPs or tagged VLPs is applicable to several other virulent pathogens but it is particularly advantageous to apply this methodology to BSL-3/BSL-4 level viruses, to enable studies in lower biocontainment levels.