Chennai: University of Otago researchers have learnt more about how viruses operate and can evade the immune system and are now using their discovery to help learn more about Covid-19.
The recent research, led by Dr Mihnea Bostina and PhD student Sai Velamoor from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Otago Micro and Nano Imaging, Electron Microscopy, specifically looked at the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) virus, an important biocontrol agent against the coconut rhinoceros beetle, a devastating pest for coconut and oil palm trees in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
The Otago scientists found the virus used a ‘decoy’ strategy to evade the immune system. Dr Bostina explains the findings are a small step in the bid to better understand infectious disease.
The research team is now using the same technique to investigate changes in cells infected with SARS- CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
“We have used the same technique to investigate changes in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 and are continuing work in this area.”