GeneTex antibodies for virus research

There are three types of influenza virus: types A, B, and C. The influenza A and B viruses are the ones most associated with serious human infections, while the type C cases are clinically much milder. The main antigenic determinants of influenza A and B viruses are the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) transmembrane glycoproteins. Based on the antigenicity of these glycoproteins, influenza A viruses are further subdivided into sixteen "H" (H1-H16) and nine "N" (N1-N9) subtypes.The influenza A virus genome consists of eight separate RNA segments that encode the proteins (i.e., PB1, PB2, PA, HA, NA, NP, M1, M2, NS1, and NS2) essential for host infection, viral genome replication, and virus particle packaging.

Flaviridae is a family of single-stranded RNA viruses, many of which are spread through vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes. The Flavivirus group obtained its name from the Yellow Fever virus (lat. flavius for yellow), and contains other pathogens such as the zika virus, dengue virus, Japanese Encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, and also Hepatitis C virus.

Dengue (DEN) is the most serious of the mosquito-borne viral diseases. It is caused by the Dengue virus (DENV), of which there are four serotypes (DEN1-4). While patients develop long-term immunity to the initial infecting serotype, sequential infection by different serotypes leads to a greater risk of serious disease manifestations. It is from this observation that the hypothesis of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection emerged, whereby previously acquired anti-DENV antibodies appear to facilitate both higher viremia and amplified release of inflammatory mediators in response to heterotypic DENV infection.

In 2015, the Zika virus (ZIKV) exploded into international prominence, although this mosquito-borne flavivirus had its first reported outbreak in 2007. Nearly 70 countries and territories have documented ZIKV transmission since 2007. While about 80% of ZIKV infections are asymptomatic, the virus can cause influenza-like symptoms and other clinical manifestations including conjunctivitis. In addition, there is increasingly robust evidence associating ZIKV with microcephaly (and other neurodevelopmental problems) in newborns from infected mothers.

First identified in 1989, the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) primarily affects the liver and is estimated to be chronic in over 70 million people worldwide. Chronic infection occurs in 80-85% of those acutely infected and can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death. Currently, there is no vaccination against HCV.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Harvey J Alter, Michael Houhgton and Charles M Rice for their discoveries of Hepatitis C virus.