#ebola virus structure

[dr-albertwesker]

[WESKER'S REPORT II / FEMALE TEST SUBJECT]

Female Test Subject 1978.7.31(mon)

I first went there during the summer at 18-years-old. This is the story of twenty years ago. I still remember the scent of the wind stirred by the helicopter's rotors when we landed. Though the mansion looked ordinary from above, there was something repulsive at ground level. As usual, Birkin, who was two years my junior, only seemed interested in the research papers in his hand...

The two of us would assume our positions there, having been informed two days previously on the day they decided to shut down the executive training school we attended. It all seemed both carefully planned, and at the same time, mere coincidence. Perhaps Spencer's the only one who knows the truth.

At the time, the very place he himself had constructed to serve as the base of "t-Virus" development in the United States was there, in the Arklay Laboratory.

As soon as we disembarked the helicopter, the "director" in charge of the facility was standing in front of the elevator. I don't even remember the name of "that man." Whatever the formalities, the Arklay Laboratory belonged to Birkin and I from that day on. We were entrusted with full authority over the research there in our roles as chief researchers. That was Spencer's intent, of course. We had been chosen.

We ignored the director and stepped into the elevator. I had memorized the facility's entire structure the day before, and Birkin, no offense intended, was blind to others.

People who worked with us typically felt resentful after the first five seconds. The director, however, didn't react at all. I was a conceited young man at the time, so I paid the director no heed. After all, during my time there I was merely dancing in Spencer's palm, and he understood his boss Spencer's intentions better than I.

The elevator carrying the three of us shortly descended into the basement, with Birkin not taking his eyes off the papers in his hand. Birkin was looking over records of Ebola, a new strain of filovirus that emerged in Africa two years before. Even as we speak there should be a great many people throughout the world studying Ebola. Although their goals can be divided into two. To save people, and to kill people.

As we know, the mortality rate of those infected with Ebola is 90%. Its immediate effects destroy human tissues within ten days, and even now, neither precautionary measures nor treatment methods have been established at this point in time. If utilized as a weapon, it has the potential to be a terrifying force to be reckoned with.

It was of course illegal for us to study it as a weapon, since the "Biological Weapons Convention" had already come into effect prior to this point. But there were no assurances that someone, somewhere, wouldn't use it as a weapon, even if we ourselves did not. For such cases, conducting research in advance is legal. The dividing line's extremely ambiguous. The reason for that is, how they might be used must be investigated when studying defensive measures. There's no difference whatsoever between weapons research and researching cures.

In other words, it's also possible to study weapons under the guise of studying treatments. In either case however, at the time, Birkin had no intention of looking over Ebola's records themselves for research purposes.

The virus had too many shortcomings. Firstly, it can survive only a few days outside the body and is easily eradicated simply by sunlight (UV rays). Secondly, since it kills the host organism (humans) so quickly, there's scarce time for it to move onto its next host. Thirdly, host-to-host transmission requires direct contact and protection is relatively easy. But, as an example, consider the following.

What if a person who contracted Ebola could stand up and walk around, with a steady rate of virus replication within the body? And what if that person could actively seek out uninfected humans, in a diminished state of awareness, to infect them?

What if RNA, Ebola's genome, could influence the human genome? And imagine, the human body endowed with monstrous stamina so it couldn't easily die? Couldn't it become a "Bio Organic Weapon" that spreads the virus within its body to other living organisms while in a now clinically dead state? It was fortunate for us Ebola exhibited no such properties. For from that point on, only we could continue to maintain exclusivity over viruses with those traits.

Umbrella was founded mainly by Spencer and was nothing short of an organization for developing viruses with those very traits. Ostensibly it was a pharmaceutical company specializing in viral treatments, but in reality, it was a manufacturing plant for Bio Organic Weapons. Its origin is said to have been the discovery of the "Progenitor Virus" that can recombine the genes of living organisms. In order to manufacture Bio Organic Weapons from the Progenitor Virus, variant viruses which enhanced its properties were being developed.

That was the t-Virus Project.

The Progenitor Virus was an RNA virus prone to mutations, thereby making it possible to enhance its properties. Birkin's interest in Ebola was for strengthening these properties by incorporating its genes into the Progenitor Virus. The Ebola sample had already reached this lab by that point.

Changing elevators several times, we arrived at the facility's highest level. There, even Birkin peered up. That was the first time we met "her."

No one told us anything about her beforehand. She was this lab's greatest secret and the data was never taken outside for any reason. According to the records, she had been here since this lab was founded. She was 25-years-old at the time. But we knew neither her name, nor her reason for being here. She was a test subject for t-Virus development.

The experiment began on November 10th 1967.

She had received experimental virus injections here for eleven years. Birkin mumbled something. I wonder whether it was to curse, or perhaps words of praise. We had come to a point of no return. Would we succeed in our research, or wither away like her? There was of course only one choice. Her body, bound to the pipe bed, stirred something within our minds.

Was this part of Spencer's plan?

(The record continues three years later)

[fantabulisticity]

‘It’s insane’: New viruslike entities found in human gut microbes

Analysis of sequence databases reveals novel circular RNA genomes belonging to “obelisks”

26 Jan. 2024

By Elizabeth Pennisi

As they collect and analyze massive amounts of genetic sequences from plants, animals, and microbes, biologists keep encountering surprises, including some that may challenge the very definition of life. The latest, reported this week in a preprint, is a new kind of viruslike entity that inhabits bacteria dwelling in the human mouth and gut. These “obelisks,” as they’re called by the Stanford University team that unearthed them, have genomes seemingly composed of loops of RNA and sequences belonging to them have been found around the world. Other scientists are delighted by obelisks’ debut. “It’s insane,” says Mark Peifer, a cell and developmental biologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “The more we look, the more crazy things we see.” It’s not yet known whether obelisks affect human health, says Matthew Sullivan, an integrative biologist at Ohio State University, but they could alter the genetic activity of their bacterial hosts, which in turn could affect human genes.

Most people know RNA, or ribonucleic acid, as DNA’s alter ego—ferrying proteinmaking recipes encoded in a DNA-based gene to molecular “kitchens” outside the cell nucleus that string together a protein’s amino acids. But more than 200 viruses, including those that cause flu, Ebola, and COVID-19, bypass DNA, having genomes composed only of RNA. Their genomes include sequences encoding the proteins that make up a viral shell and ribozymes, enzymes that let a virus copy its original RNA once inside a cell. Scientists still debate whether viruses are alive—they can’t replicate independent of a host cell’s molecules—but there are even simpler “creatures.” In the early 20th century, plant pathologists came across viroids, basically an infectious loop of RNA without the typical protein shell of viruses. Viroid genomes don’t encode any proteins at all, it seems. Viroids have drawn a lot of interest because they interact with the genomes of plants, sometimes in devastating ways—they cause stunting and deformation in potatoes, chrysanthemums, and other crops and flowers, for example. Viroids were long thought to be limited to plants, but there’s been some recent evidence of viroidlike circular RNA genomes amid databases of sequences from animals, bacteria, and other life forms. In a new search for undiscovered RNA genomes, Stanford biologist Andrew Fire, his graduate student Ivan Zheludev, and their colleagues developed sophisticated software to analyze existing catalogs of active genes from microbes that live in humans for RNA sequences predicted to form circles—the structure of the genetic material in both viruses and viroids. “I am really impressed by the approach,” says computational biologist Simon Roux of the DOE Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, who worked on a 2023 paper that hinted bacteria might contain viroids or similar entities. “The authors were really creative.”

The Stanford search yielded nearly 30,000 predicted RNA circles, each consisting of about 1000 bases and likely representing a distinct obelisk. They were unlikely to be bona fide viruses, the team concluded, because RNA viruses typically have many more bases. But some of the obelisk sequences encoded proteins involved in RNA replication, making them more complex than standard viroids. Like viroids, however, obelisks don’t seem to encode proteins that make up a shell. Roux says further work is needed to see how distinct obelisks are from viroids and other viroidlike particles. Among the human microbial databases examined, obelisk sequences were found in 7% of human gut bacteria and in half the bacteria in the human mouth. And the obelisks in microbes from different parts of the body have distinctive sequences, Fire and colleagues report in their preprint, which was posted on 21 January on bioRxiv. Because obelisks contain genes that are unlike any discovered so far in other organisms, they “comprise a class of diverse RNAs that have colonized, and gone unnoticed in, human, and global microbiomes,” the team writes. (Fire and other co-authors on the preprint declined to comment on their work.) “I think this [work] is one more clear indication that we are still exploring the frontiers of this viral universe,” says Roux, who is also searching for new kinds of viruslike entities and has helped compile a database of more than 15 million relevant sequences. One big question is whether viruses evolved from increasingly complex viroids and obelisks, or emerged first and then degenerated into these simpler structures. “This is one of the most exciting parts of being in this field right now,” Roux says: “We can see the picture of the long-term evolution of viruses on Earth start to slowly emerge.”

[themarketinsights]

Virology Market to See Massive Growth by 2028

Latest released the research study on Global Virology Market, offers a detailed overview of the factors influencing the global business scope. Virology Market research report shows the latest market insights, current situation analysis with upcoming trends and breakdown of the products and services. The report provides key statistics on the market status, size, share, growth factors of the Virology The study covers emerging player’s data, including: competitive landscape, sales, revenue and global market share of top manufacturers are GSK (United Kingdom), Pfizer (United States), AbbVie's (United States), Gilead Sciences (United States), Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Japan), Kineta, Inc. (United States), Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals (United States), Novavax, Inc. (United States), AllCells (United States), Nektar Therapeutics (United States)

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Virology Market Definition:

A principal department of virology is virus classification. Virology is the scientific learn about of viruses – submicroscopic, parasitic organisms of genetic cloth contained in a protein coat and virus-like agents. It focuses on the following components of viruses: their structure, classification and evolution, their methods to infect and take advantage of host cells for reproduction, their interplay with host organism physiology and immunity, the illnesses they cause, the methods to isolate and lifestyle them, and their use in lookup and therapy. Virology is a subfield of microbiology. Virology is the scientific self-discipline involved with the learn about of the biology of viruses and viral diseases, which include the distribution, biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, ecology, evolution and scientific elements of viruses.

Market Trend:

Notable advances in Nanotechnology, Nanostructure-based electrical Sensors have been emerged as promising Platforms for real-time, sensitive detection of numerous Bioanalytes

Market Drivers:

Rising Public Awareness on Campaigns Diseases and Modern Technologies for Identifying and Treating Viral Illness

Market Opportunities:

Healthcare Infrastructure

Facilitated Diagnostics

Growing affordability of Diagnostic tests for Viral Diseases

 

The Global Virology Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:

by Application (Medicine, Agriculture, Nanotechnology, Others), Diagnosis Test (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV, Other), Disease (AIDS, Common Cold, Ebola, Genital Herpes, Influenza, Others)

Region Included are: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Oceania, South America, Middle East & Africa

Country Level Break-Up: United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Germany, United Kingdom (UK), the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Turkey, Russia, France, Poland, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, India, Australia and New Zealand etc.

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Chapter 1: Introduction, market driving force product Objective of Study and Research Scope the Virology market

Chapter 2: Exclusive Summary – the basic information of the Virology Market.

Chapter 3: Displayingthe Market Dynamics- Drivers, Trends and Challenges of the Virology

Chapter 4: Presenting the Virology Market Factor Analysis Porters Five Forces, Supply/Value Chain, PESTEL analysis, Market Entropy, Patent/Trademark Analysis.

Chapter 5: Displaying market size by Type, End User and Region 2015-2020

Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Virology market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

Chapter 7: To evaluate the market by segments, by countries and by manufacturers with revenue share and sales by key countries (2021-2026).

Chapter 8 & 9: Displaying the Appendix, Methodology and Data Source

Finally, Virology Market is a valuable source of guidance for individuals and companies in decision framework.

Data Sources & Methodology The primary sources involves the industry experts from the Global Virology Market including the management organizations, processing organizations, analytics service providers of the industry’s value chain. All primary sources were interviewed to gather and authenticate qualitative & quantitative information and determine the future prospects.

In the extensive primary research process undertaken for this study, the primary sources – Postal Surveys, telephone, Online & Face-to-Face Survey were considered to obtain and verify both qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research study. When it comes to secondary sources Company's Annual reports, press Releases, Websites, Investor Presentation, Conference Call transcripts, Webinar, Journals, Regulators, National Customs and Industry Associations were given primary weight-age.

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[jcmarchi]

NIST Better Identifies Sneaky Sugars on Viruses’ Spiky Weapons - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nist-better-identifies-sneaky-sugars-on-viruses-spiky-weapons-technology-org/

NIST Better Identifies Sneaky Sugars on Viruses’ Spiky Weapons - Technology Org

A better picture of the sugars can increase our understanding of how humans get infected by the virus behind COVID-19 and other pathogens.

To effectively repel an enemy invasion, it helps to have accurate intelligence about that enemy’s weaponry and attack plan. Medical scientists laboring to repel infectious viruses, such as those that cause COVID-19 and HIV, now have a better method for obtaining that intel because of research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Jutting from the virus particle that causes COVID-19 are spike-shaped proteins, which are coated with sugar molecules called glycans that are key to the infection process. NIST scientists have improved our ability to determine the glycans’ types, quantities and positions on the spikes. The new method could help medical science repel COVID-19 and other viruses from Ebola to HIV. Image credit: N. Hanacek/NIST

The chief weapon many viruses use to latch onto and invade a victim’s cell is a spike-shaped protein jutting from the virus surface. Because the spike proteins play an essential role in the infection process, vaccines and treatment methods often target them, but these proteins are not easy marks.

One reason is that each spike protein is draped in a varied bunch of sugar molecules. These sugars help the virus particle both infect the cell and evade the immune system. Until now, our ability to determine the types of sugars at specific spots on the spike proteins has largely depended on educated guesswork.

The NIST team’s new method dramatically improves the ability to identify these sugar molecules accurately. In a paper published in the Journal of Proteome Research, the team details the types, quantities and positions of the sugars branching from the spike proteins on the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle, which causes COVID-19.

While the results will assist scientists in efforts to repel COVID-19 in particular, the findings’ broader value lies in the method that revealed them, as applying it could improve the ability to repel a host of other viruses that plague humanity.

According to NIST’s Stephen Stein, one of the paper’s authors, characterizing the confusing array of sugars on the spike protein is crucial for giving medical science a clear picture of the enemy.

“If you’re dealing with viral interactions at the molecular level, you must know everything about the molecule. The more you know, the more confident you’ll be about how it works,” said Stein, a chemist and NIST Fellow. “How does the particle evade the immune system’s antibody attack?

Answering that question requires details of the particle’s molecular structure to be known, but until now this ‘sugar coating’ has not been known with precision. Any uncertainties in its structure will lead to uncertainties in unraveling its behavior.”

Those limitations have made life difficult for other scientists who are trying to create ways to fight viral infection. Getting a detailed look at how the sugars behave could make a substantial difference to researchers like S. Saif Hasan, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who studies how viruses invade our cells and transform them into virus-making factories.

“The NIST team’s new method gives us unprecedented insight at the atomic level chemistry that underlies a successful infection,” Hasan said. “It gives us new avenues to investigate the quality of vaccines against different viruses. This is something that has not been easily possible in the past.”

Those different viruses are a rogue’s gallery of human pathogens including COVID, HIV, influenza and Ebola. All of these particular viruses have spiky proteins that extrude outward from the surface.

Making the spike proteins all the more difficult to visualize are the different varieties of sugar molecules, known as glycans, that branch outward from the spikes. Scientists have lacked the ability to determine a spike’s glycosylation profile — a map of which particular sugars sit where on a spike.

A widely used device called a mass spectrometer can provide a good general rundown of all the glycans that appear in a sample, but until now, scientists have lacked a rigorous data analysis method that can turn this rundown into a map with trustworthy details.

The NIST team developed that analysis method over a painstaking stretch of months, using the mass spectrometer to look closely at samples of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein obtained from 11 different vendors.

The team members used their collective experience with determining and validating mass spectra to come up with entirely new sets of algorithms that can analyze a sample, and the multiple sample sources allowed them to make sure they were getting accurate results regardless of protein origin.

“It’s no secret to the scientific community that the data analysis here is tough,” Meghan Burke Harris, another author of this work, said. “Many glycans look similar, and they are often difficult to distinguish. But the extensive measurements and data analysis here provides a reliable method for this task — one that lays the groundwork for making accurate measurement.”

In addition to the broader method, the team’s paper offers a library of SARS-CoV-2 gycosylation profiles and includes visual representations of the results. Hasan said that their graphical form allows him to look at the data intuitively, potentially solving problems that would have been intractable.

“As a hypothetical example, let’s say there are two batches of the same vaccine that were made separately. For some unknown reason, one provides better protection than the other,” Hasan said. “With this technique, we could get more insight into why one batch is better than the other, and we could use that in the future to design better vaccines.”

Paper: M.C. Burke, Y. Liu, C. Remoroza, Y.A. Mirokhin, S.L. Sheetlin, D.V. Tchekhovskoi, G. Wang, X. Yang and S.E. Stein. Determining Site-Specific Glycan Profiles of Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins from Multiple Sources. Journal of Proteome Research. Aug. 30, 2023. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00271

Source: NIST

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[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] Newswise — LA JOLLA, CA—New research in the journal Nature Communications gives scientists an important window into how Ebola virus replicates inside host cells. The study, led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), reveals the inner workings of “viral factories,” clusters of viral proteins and genomes that form in host cells.The research team, which included experts from Scripps Research and UC San Diego School of Medicine, found that Ebola virus’s replication machinery forms fascinating microscopic structures that become viral factories. By understanding the architecture and function of these microscopic manufacturing hubs, researchers may be closer to developing new therapies that interrupt the Ebola virus life cycle and prevent severe disease.“We are imaging these fluid and dynamic assembly centers for the first time. Understanding how they work and what they require gives us the information needed to defeat them,” says LJI President and CEO Erica Ollmann Saphire, Ph.D., senior author of the new study.What is a viral factory?Scientists first spotted what would turn out to be “virus factories” in virus-infected animal cells back in the 1960s, but they didn’t know what they were seeing. Within a sea of normal cellular proteins, these areas looked like fuzzy splotches.“People had already seen that Ebola-infected cells had these ‘inclusions,'” says LJI Postdoctoral Researcher Jingru Fang, Ph.D., first author of the new study. For a long time, scientists thought of these “inclusions” as helpful visual indicators of infection, without understanding their true purpose. “But in fact, these ‘inclusion bodies’ actively gather an enormous quantity of viral proteins and viral RNAs.”Many viral pathogens, including rabies virus and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) form inclusions in host cells, Fang explains. “Recent studies suggest that these cellular inclusions are the site where viruses make their RNA genomes. They are ‘viral factories’ with actual functional purpose: to offer a secured space for viral RNA synthesis,” says Fang. “The process of viral RNA synthesis involves flux of viral building blocks. This means molecules gathered inside viral factories should be able to move freely rather than being static.”For the new study, Saphire, Fang and their colleagues wondered: Can we observe the movement of viral building blocks directly in living cells?Fang began by tagging a viral protein called VP35 with a fluorescent marker that makes the protein glow in the dark. VP35 is a critical component of the viral factory and is important for viral RNA synthesis (and the making of new copies of Ebola virus). Working with imaging experts in the LJI Microscopy and Histology Core, Fang followed the glowing proteins in live cells, which express a simplified and non-infectious version of Ebola viral factories.Under the microscope, Fang and colleagues could indeed see and even measure how molecules move inside the viral factories formed in host cells. This finding added evidence that viral proteins are clumping together like droplets so they can churn out the proteins needed to help the virus replicate. Those mysterious inclusions really are viral factories. The researcher dubbed these “droplet-like” viral factories.Then the scientists saw something odd. Some of the glowing proteins didn’t gather into clumps. Instead, they joined up with a smattering of other viral proteins, creating a fluorescent swirl that evoked van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” These trails of viral proteins still had the right ingredients to replicate Ebola virus, so the scientists dubbed them “network-like” viral factories.“These are two different flavors of the viral factory,” says Fang. “People have mostly focused on the droplet-like form, which is the majority, and not paid too much attention to this other form.”Besides their shapes, there was a key difference between the two factories. It appeared the network-like factories had the right ingredients for the incoming Ebola virus to express its genes, but they didn’t actually produce virus progenies.A multi-tasking machineNext, the researchers looked at a key player in infection: a protein called virus polymerase. Polymerase is a multifunctional nanomachine that comes with the virus. This machine not only copies the Ebola virus genomic material, it also transcribes the viral genome into messenger RNAs, which instruct infected cells to produce loads of viral proteins. The researchers wanted to understand how this viral machine functions inside viral factories.Ebola virus polymerase is already known as a hard-working protein—all Ebola viral proteins have to be. Ebola virus is a highly efficient pathogen because it gets by with just seven genes (humans have more than 20,000 genes). Saphire has led research showing that Ebola virus survives by making proteins that can transform and take on different jobs during the course of infection.Just last year, Saphire, Fang, and collaborators published a related discovery that viral polymerase actually harnesses a druggable human protein to help the virus replicate its genome. The team reported that while polymerase is essential for viral replication, the polymerase doesn’t actually jump into action until infection is well underway.This work was important for understanding how polymerase stepped into action, but scientists also needed to know where polymerase was active. Fang knew it would be important to look at what polymerase might be up to in viral factories.The researchers discovered that polymerase actually builds its own special structures inside viral factories. Many copies of polymerase gather in small bundles, called foci. The researchers found that these bundles spread out when a droplet-like viral factory starts replicating viral material.Scientists aren’t sure exactly why polymerase needs to form bundles before it can do its job, but the spatial arrangement of the bundles must be important. As Fang points out, the idea of many small components coming together to build a structure isn’t a new concept in nature. “You can use a beehive or coral reef as the analogy to help understand why a specific spatial arrangement is important for a biological system to function,” she says.With this finding, scientists now know how to find different kinds of viral factories and how polymerase organizes itself down on the factory floor.Fighting backMore than 30 human pathogens are known to assemble viral factories inside host cells, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and even rabies virus. With this new view of Ebola’s viral factories, the scientists are curious whether other viruses construct similar forms of viral factories—and whether other viruses use their own versions of polymerase in the same way.“If that’s true, maybe we can target the feature of viral factory formation that has been shared by multiple different viruses,” says Fang.Going forward, Fang would also like to study how Ebola virus forms viral factories in different kinds of host cells. Do these viral factories look different in cells from animals (such as the virus’s natural hosts, the fruit bats) that can carry the virus around without getting sick? “Can we find some explanation for host-specific viral pathogenesis?” she asks.The new study also demonstrates the importance of collaboration across San Diego’s Torrey Pines Mesa. The LJI team worked closely with Scripps Research Professor Ashok Deniz, Ph.D., and UC San Diego Professor Mark H. Ellisman, Ph.D., Director of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research.“The combination of state-of-the-art tools available on the Torrey Pines Mesa allowed us to combine the biophysical characterization with the human health insight,” says SaphireAdditional authors of the study, “Spatial and functional arrangement of Ebola virus polymerase inside phase-separated viral factories,” include Guillaume Castillon, Sebastien Phan, Sara McArdle, Chitra Hariharan, and Aiyana Adams.This study was supported by the National Institute of Health (grants NIH S10OD021831, R24GM137200, and S10OD021784), an Imaging Scientist grant (2019‐198153) from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LJI institutional funds, and the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Fellowship.DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39821-7###About La Jolla InstituteThe La Jolla Institute for Immunology is dedicated to understanding the intricacies and power of the immune system so that we may apply that knowledge to promote human health and prevent a wide range of diseases. Since its founding in 1988 as an independent, nonprofit research organization, the Institute has made numerous advances leading toward its goal: life without disease. Visit lji.org for more information. window.fbAsyncInit = function () FB.init( appId: '890013651056181', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.2' ); ; (function (d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = " fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); [ad_2]

[rnomics]

Microorganisms, Vol. 11, Pages 1608: In Silico Identification and In Vitro Validation of Repurposed Compounds Targeting the RSV Polymerase

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the top cause of infant hospitalization globally, with no effective treatments available. Researchers have sought small molecules to target the #RNA-dependent #RNA Polymerase (RdRP) of RSV, which is essential for replication and transcription. Based on the cryo-EM structure of the RSV polymerase, in silico computational analysis including molecular docking and the protein-ligand simulation of a database, including 6554 molecules, is currently undergoing phases 1–4 of clinical trials and has resulted in the top ten repurposed compound candidates against the RSV polymerase, including Micafungin, Totrombopag, and Verubecestat. We performed the same procedure to evaluate 18 small molecules from previous studies and chose the top four compounds for comparison. Among the top identified repurposed compounds, Micafungin, an antifungal medication, showed significant inhibition and binding affinity improvements over current inhibitors such as ALS-8112 and Ribavirin. We also validated Micafungin’s inhibition of the RSV RdRP using an in vitro transcription assay. These findings contribute to RSV drug development and hold promise for broad-spectrum antivirals targeting the non-segmented negative-sense (NNS) #RNA viral polymerases, including those of rabies (RABV) and Ebola (EBOV). https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/6/1608?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[anyawinget]

Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market Analysis by Rising Trends, Growing Demand and Growth 2021-2028

“The plant-based vaccines market in Europe is expected to grow from US$ 306.40 million in 2021 to US$ 705.15 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% from 2021 to 2028.”

The report includes an executive summary, economic outlook, and overview sections which provide a consistent analysis of the Europe Plant-based Vaccines market. Additionally, the report in the Market overview section outlines PLC analysis and PESTLE analysis to provide a thorough analysis of the market. The overview section details Porter’s five forces analysis which helps to reveal a possible scenario of the market by disclosing a competitive scenario with respect to the Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market.

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Top companies in the Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market are –

British American Tobacco p.l.c.

Creative Biolabs, Inc.

Leaf Expression Systems Ltd.

LenioBio

Lumen Bioscience, Inc.

ZYUS Life Sciences Inc.

The major players in the Europe Plant-based Vaccines industry is covered in this report by report, their market share, product portfolio, company profiles. Key market players are analyzed on the basis of production volume, gross margin, market value, and price structure. The competitive market scenario among Europe Plant-based Vaccines players will help the industry aspirants in planning their strategies. The statistics presented in this report are an accurate and useful guide to shaping your business growth.

Market Segment by Type, the product divided into:

Bacterial Vaccines

Viral Vaccines

Parasite Vaccines

Plant-Derived Virus-Like Particles

Others

Market Segment by Application, split into:

Influenza

Zika Virus

Ebola Virus

COVID-19

Poultry Disease

Others

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Table of Content for Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market Research Report:

Chapter 1: Industry Overview

Chapter 2: Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market International and Regional Market Analysis

Chapter 3: Environment Analysis of Market.

Chapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by Classifications.

Chapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and Applications.

Chapter 6: Analysis of Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market Revenue Market Status.

Chapter 7: Analysis of Industry Key Manufacturers

Chapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin Analysis of Market.

Chapter 9: ……………………. Continue to TOC

Finally, Europe Plant-based Vaccines Market report is the believable source for gaining the Market research that will exponentially accelerate your business. The report provides locales, economic conditions, item values, benefits, limits, creations, supplies, requests, market development rates, and numbers, etc. Europe Plant-based Vaccines industry report announces additional new task SWOT examination, and speculation achievement investigation and venture return investigation.

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[rnewspost]

Scientists uncover the structure and function of Inmazeb, the first FDA-approved drug for Ebola virus infection

The new study shows how three antibodies (light blue, dark blue, and yellow) used in Inmazeb (REGN-EB3) bind to different regions of the Ebola virus glycoprotein (grey) to combat infection. Credit: Ethan MacKenzie (Phospho Biomedical Animation) Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have uncovered the structure and function of the first FDA-approved treatment for Zaire ebolavirus…

[infoidiots]

Ebola Virus Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Ebola Virus Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Ebola Virus Disease: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Ebola is also called Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF). It is a viral hemorrhagic disease in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms generally start between 2 days and 3 weeks. After becoming infected with the virus symptoms initiate. The first symptoms are normally fever, sore throat, muscle pain,…

[waluigishairytesticles]

How far down does the Avatar combination of animals go? Some of the smallest hybrids are things like ant flies, bumble flies, and cicada crickets but like, does it go smaller than that? Ant gnats? Aphid fleas? Silverfish beetles? Could there be hybrids with tardigrades? Hybrids between different bacteria and amoeba? Like the flagellum of a sperm cell and the cell wall of E. Coli?

What about hybrids between a bacteria and a virus that creates some kind of mutant superbug combining the worst characteristics of the virus and bacteria that makes it up? Like the structure and infectability of Yersinia Pestis (the black dearth) and the highly transmissible nature and lethality of smallpox or ebola?

What I'd give to be a microbiologist in the Avatar universe.

[ill-will-editions]

Covid-19: The 21st Century Begins Now Jérôme Baschet

Historians readily accept that the global 20th century began in 1914, with the onset of the cycle of the World Wars. One day it will no doubt be said that the 21st century began in 2020, with the introduction of SARS-CoV-2. The range of scenarios to come remains, of course, very open; but the sequence of events triggered by the spread of the Coronavirus offers a preview of the disasters that are bound to intensify in our convulsive world, marked as it is by the effects of a global warming well on its way towards an average increase of 3 or 4 degrees. What is happening before our eyes is an increasingly tight intertwining of multiple crisis factors, which it suffices for a random element, both unforeseen and widely announced, to activate. The collapse and unravelling of life, climate disorder, accelerated social decomposition, the discrediting of governments and political systems, the unbridled expansion of credit and financial fragility, failure to maintain a sufficient level of growth (to mention only a few): these dynamics all reinforce one another, generating an extreme vulnerability that derives from the fact that the world system is now in a situation of permanent structural crisis. Henceforth, any apparent stability is merely a mask for growing instability.

Philippe Sansonetti, a microbiologist and professor at the Collège de France, recently remarked that Covid-19 is an "Anthropocene disease”. The current pandemic is a total fact, in which the biological reality of the virus is inseparable from the societal and systemic conditions of its existence and spread. Invoking the Anthropocene — a new geological period in which the human species has become a force capable of modifying the biosphere on a global scale — invites us to take into account a threefold timeline: firstly, the recent period in which, under the pressure of perceptible evidence, we became aware, albeit too slowly, of this new era; secondly, the decades after 1945, which were those of the rise of consumer society and the great acceleration of all the markers of humanity's productive (and destructive) activity; lastly, the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries which, by setting in motion the cycle of fossil fuels and industrialization, caused the curve of greenhouse gas emissions to take off, thus marking the beginning of the Anthropocene.

The virus that afflicts us has been sent by the living, who have come to present us with the bill for the turmoil that we ourselves have caused. The Anthropocene means: in whatever befalls us, human responsibility is involved. But whose responsibility is it exactly? The three timelines mentioned above allow us to be more precise. On the most immediate horizon, our attention is monopolized by the staggering affair of the evaporation of mask stocks since 2009 and by the indolence that has failed to replenish them urgently as the epidemic approaches. This is merely one more aspect of Europe's overwhelming lack of preparation. In this inability to anticipate, we bear witness to another disease of the times, namely, its presentism, that force by which everything that extends beyond the immediate disappears from our view. The coldly calculative neoliberal methods of hospital management took care of the rest, with its persistent lack of resources, reduction in the number of beds, on top of a shortage of staff and personnel who are already exhausted during normal times. Care workers have been howling their despair for a long time, without being heard. Today, the criminal nature of long-standing policies has been proven to everyone.  As Philippe Juvin, head of the emergency department at the Pompidou Hospital in Paris recently stated, "careless and incompetent people" have caused us to find ourselves "naked in the face of the epidemic". And if Emmanuel Macron wanted to set himself up as a war chief, he should not overlook the fact that this same rhetoric, invoked by so many rulers these days, could also one day one day turn (metaphorically?) into an accusation of high treason.

Glancing back over the second half of the twentieth century allows us to identify several of the major causalities behind the multiplication of zoonoses, those diseases caused by infectious agents that are able to make a species leap from animals to humans. The expansion of industrial livestock farming, with its despicable tendency toward concentration, led to the sort of deplorable health consequences we now know far too well (swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, etc.). Meanwhile, excessive urbanization and metropolization have shrunk the habitats of animals, pushing them into closer contact with humans (HIV and Ebola, in particular). These two factors may not have played a role in the case of SARS-CoV-2, although more still needs to be known about the entire chain of transmission. On the other hand, it is clear that the sale of wild animals in the Wuhan market would not have had such consequences had Wuhan not become one of the world capitals of the automobile industry. The globalization of economic flows is indeed at work; and this is the third causality to be invoked, all the more so as the senseless expansion of air traffic was the vector of the rapid planetary spread of the virus.

But we can't stop there; we must also look back two centuries and give the Anthropocene its real name: Capitalocene. For it is the result, not of the human species in general, but of a specific historical system. The principal characteristic of this system, capitalism, is that the bulk of production is based, above all else, on the imperative of turning a profit from the money invested (capital). Although its configurations are variable, the world is ultimately organized according to the imperious demands of the economy. The result has  been a civilizational break with all previous human experience, in which private interest and competitive individualism now reign as supreme values, the obsession with pure quantity and the tyranny of urgency opening up a void in being. The result is also and above all a deadly productivist compulsion, one which lies at the origin of the overexploitation of natural resources, the accelerated disorganization of living things, and climate change.

When the current quarantine and health emergency ends, nothing will be the same as before; that much has been made clear. But what will change? Will our self-examination be limited to a short-term temporality, as is to be feared, or will we take into account the full cycle of the Capitalocene? We have now reached the threshold of the twenty-first century. The real war that is about to be waged will not have the Coronavirus as its enemy, but will be fought between two opposing options: on one side, there will be the continuation of a world in which the fanatical drive for merchandise reigns supreme and whose compulsive productivism will only lead to the deepening of the ongoing devastation; on the other side, there lies the invention, already being explored in a thousand places, of new ways of existing that would break with the categorical imperative of the economy, in order to lend priority to a good life for all. Preferring the joyful intensity of the qualitative to the false promises of an unlimited impossibility, the latter would combine an attentive concern for inhabited milieus and the interactions of the living with the construction of the common, mutual aid, and solidarity, and the collective capacity for self-organization and self-government.

The Coronavirus has come to sound the alarm and stop the mad train of a civilization hurtling towards the destruction of life on a mass scale. Shall we let it continue down its course, once again? That would only guarantee new and unprecedented disasters, which will make what we are experiencing now look pale in retrospect.

Paris, March 27, 2020

Translated by Ill Will Editions

****

Jérôme Baschet is an historian currently teaching at the Autonomous University of Chiapas in San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Author of several books on medieval history, he has also published Défaire la tyrannie du présent. Temporalités émergentes et futurs inédits (2018), La Rébellion zapatiste (2019), and Une Juste colère. Interrompre la destruction du monde, on the Gilets Jaunes.

[grootpoepjeplasjehoofd]

If we talked about what is happening in Minneapolis the same way we talk about events in a foreign country, here’s how the Western media would cover it. The quotes and those “quoted” in the piece below are fictional.

In recent years, the international community has sounded the alarm on the deteriorating political and human rights situation in the United States under the regime of Donald Trump. Now, as the country marks 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus pandemic, the former British colony finds itself in a downward spiral of ethnic violence. The fatigue and paralysis of the international community are evident in its silence, America experts say.

The country has been rocked by several viral videos depicting extrajudicial executions of black ethnic minorities by state security forces. Uprisings erupted in the northern city of Minneapolis after a video circulated online of the killing of a black man, George Floyd, after being attacked by a security force agent. Trump took to Twitter, calling black protesters “THUGS”’ and threatening to send in military force. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts!” he declared.

“Sure, we get it that black people are angry about decades of abuse and impunity,” said G. Scott Fitz, a Minnesotan and member of the white ethnic majority. “But going after a Target crosses the line. Can’t they find a more peaceful way, like kneeling in silence?”

Ethnic violence has plagued the country for generations, and decades ago it captured the attention of the world, but recently the news coverage and concern are waning as there seems to be no end in sight to the oppression. “These are ancient, inexplicable hatreds fueling these ethnic conflicts and inequality," said Andreja Dulic, a foreign correspondent whose knowledge of American English consists of a semester course in college and the occasional session on the Duolingo app. When told the United States is only several hundred years old, he shrugged and said, “In my country, we have structures still from the Roman empire. In their culture, Americans think that a 150-year-old building is ancient history.”

Britain usually takes an acute interest in the affairs of its former colony, but it has also been affected by the novel coronavirus. “We’ve seen some setbacks with the virus, but some Brits see the rising disease, staggering unemployment and violence in the States and feel as if America was never ready to govern itself properly, that it would resort to tribal politics,” said Andrew Darcy Morthington, a London-based America expert. During the interview, a news alert informed that out of the nearly 40,000 coronavirus deaths in the United Kingdom, 61 percent of the health-care workers who have died were black and or have Middle Eastern backgrounds. Morthington didn’t seem to notice. “Like I was saying, we don’t have those American racism issues here.”

Trump, a former reality-TV host, beauty pageant organizer and businessman, once called African nations “shithole countries." But he is now taking a page from African dictators who spread bogus health remedies, like Yahya Jammeh of Gambia, who claimed he could cure AIDS with bananas and herbal potions and pushed his treatments onto the population, resulting in deaths. Trump appeared to suggest injecting bleach and using sunlight to kill the coronavirus. He has also said he has taken hydroxycholoroquine, a drug derived from quinine, a long-known jungle remedy for malaria. Doctors have advised against using the treatment to prevent or treat the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Americans desperate to flee will face steep challenges to cross borders, as mismanagement of the coronavirus and ethnic tensions in the country have made them undesirable visitors. But some struggling American retailers, like Neiman Marcus, are hoping to lure shoppers with traditional 19th-century colonial travel fantasies through neutral khakis and cargo shorts as part of a “Modern Safari” collection. “Utilitarian details & muted tones meet classic femininity,” reads a caption under the photograph of a white woman. Pith helmets were not included in the accessory lineup.

Some nations are considering offering black Americans special asylum. “Members of the white ethnic majority are forming armed militia groups, demanding their freedom to go back to work for the wealthy class who refer to workers as ‘human capital stock,’ despite the huge risk to workers,” said Mustapha Okango, a Nairobi-based anthropologist. “This is a throwback to the days when slavery was the backbone of the American economy. Black slaves were the original essential workers, and they were treated as non-human stock.”

Africa could be an ideal asylum destination, as several African countries have managed to contain the coronavirus outbreak through aggressive early measures and innovations in testing kits. Senegal, a nation of 16 million, has only seen 41 deaths. “Everyone predicted Africa would fall into chaos,” Okango said. “It is proof that being a black person in this world doesn’t kill you, but being a black person in America clearly can.” The African Union did not respond to requests for comment, but it released a statement that said “we believe in American solutions for American problems.”

Around the world, grass-roots organizations, celebrities, human rights activists and even students are doing what they can to raise money and awareness about the dire situation in America.

“It’s sad that the Americans don’t have a government that can get them coronavirus tests or even monthly checks to be able to feed their families,” said Charlotte Johnson, a 18-year-old Liberian student activist, who survived the Ebola pandemic. “100,000 people are dead, cities are burning, and the country hasn’t had a day of mourning? Lives don’t matter, especially not black lives. It’s like they’re living in a failing state.”

[bpod-bpod]

Drinking Clearly

It’s almost impossible to catch pieces of sand floating in a glass of water, but once it has settled into a layer at the bottom you might be able to scoop it up. The same applies to viruses floating in water, each 10,000 times smaller than a grain of sand. A standard water treatment process uses metallic salts to encourage virus particles to congregate into manageable clumps that sink like sand to be removed. Researchers taking an extra cautious approach to the COVID-19 pandemic tested whether this treatment works on similar coronaviruses, to address any fears that virus particles in wastewater might be able to sneak into drinking water. They found that the free-floating virus (left, red) did aggregate into clumps (right), suggesting the purification process is well equipped to handle both coronavirus and other viruses with similar outer structures, such as Ebola, meaning everyone can enjoy their drink.

Written by Anthony Lewis

Image from work by Kyungho Kim and colleagues, Chellam lab, Texas A&M Engineering

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

Image copyright held by the original authors

Research published in Environmental Science & Technology, February 2021

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[albertweskerxchrisredfield]

Resident Evil Viruses

Origin

According to the series timeline, Umbrella Corporation founders Ozwell E. Spencer, Dr. Edward Ashford, and Dr. James Marcus began looking into viral mutation sometime in the middle of the twentieth century with the intent on finding a way to create the perfect biological weapon. This would involve finding or creating a viral agent that could not only be controlled, but could be used to create new bio-weapons by infecting a host organism and mutating it into a powerful creature that could act as a soldier and follow orders, as well as spread the virus that created it into enemy territory. On December 4, 1967, the three men succeeded, with the discovery of the Progenitor virus and from this came the birth of the Umbrella Corporation.

Progenitor virus

The Progenitor virus, also known as the Founder or Mother virus, is the first of the mutagenic viruses, and the basis for all of the ones that followed.

According to the series timeline, it was discovered on December 4, 1967, by Dr. Edward Ashford, Dr. James Marcus, and Lord Ozwell E. Spencer. Though Ashford wanted to use the virus' regenerative abilities to help the handicapped, Marcus and Spencer wanted to use it for the bio-weapons project, and after Ashford's death in 1968, they were able to begin their desired research. The only known survivor of an experiment involving Progenitor is Lisa Trevor, who bonded with the virus in a way that baffled everyone involved with the project.

It produces rapid and uncontrollable mutation in a host's genetic code, but the mutations were not coordinated enough to produce effective B.O.W.s. In hosts with a genetic structure less complex than humans, mutations are less pronounced, and usually restricted to increases in size and aggression. In order to enhance the virus's mutagenic properties, Umbrella created a variant of it through synthesizing it with the Ebola virus, but this strain retained Ebola's photosensitivity.

T-virus

The Tyrant virus, or t-virus, is the main virus used by Umbrella, and is responsible for the creation of most of their B.O.W.s.

According to reports in the game, Dr. James Marcus succeeded in creating the Tyrant virus at the Arklay Management Training Facility on September 19th, 1978[1] through synthesis of the Progenitor virus and leech DNA. Through this synthesis, the photosensitivity of the early Progenitor strain was replaced with pyrosensitivity, a property that can be seen in most of the series' enemies.

The Tyrant virus allegedly operates similarly to most other viruses, but also has the abilities to animate dead tissue, to substantially mutate its host, and to infect nearly any tissue in any type of host. It animates dead tissue by killing and replacing any mitochondria in infected cells, and then combining with these cells to produce enough energy for motor and lower brain functions. By doing this, most of the body's systems, such as the circulatory or respiratory systems, are made redundant. However, this process has the drawback of severe necrosis in the host, and produces the distinctive rotted appearance of most B.O.W.s. The mutations are produced when the virus incorporates itself into the host's genetic code and considerably alters it. Creatures with genetic structures different than humans generally show less severe mutations, and usually only increase in size.

As a side effect of the virus' consumption of its host, specifically its digestion of the host's frontal lobes, all hosts suffer from greatly increased aggression. The virus also damages the hypothalamus, which results in a flood of neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones which induce a psychopathic rage and hunger in the host.

The Daylight is the only t-virus vaccine, but must be taken before transformation. The non-canon Live-action film series also present a preventative vaccine known simply as the Anti-virus, which must be taken within several hours after the initial infection. In Resident Evil, it is revealed that if the Anti-virus is taken too late, the t-virus will cause it to be rejected. Umbrella also attempted to develop several other vaccines; t-vaccine was created by WilPharma, but an employee was selling it, as well as t- and G-virus samples, on the black market to bio-terrorists. AT1521 was Umbrella's first official attempt at a vaccine, but the original sample was destroyed. There was also an unnamed vaccine being developed under the Raccoon General Hospital in Resident Evil 3 that was used to save Jill Valentine.

T-Veronica virus

The t-Veronica virus is the main virus used in Resident Evil Code: Veronica, and is responsible for the mutation of several enemies. There is also a variant strain of the virus named t-Alexia that is a diluted form of the virus created during its period of cryogenesis in its main host, Alexia Ashford.

According to the series timeline, the t-Veronica virus was created by Alexia Ashford through synthesis of the Progenitor virus and the gene of a queen ant that contained an "ancient virus". She administered it to her father, but because the infection was not controlled, he became unstable and mindless. This led her to discover that the mutations could be controlled if slowly absorbed during cryogenesis.

Like the Progenitor virus and the t-virus, the t-Veronica virus causes rapid mutation, but the infection can be controlled and intelligence can be retained if the virus is absorbed over a long period of time. Alexia Ashford achieved this by remaining in a cryogenic sleep for fifteen years while the virus merged with her at a cellular level. Among the mutations to Alexia caused by the virus were combustible blood and vomit, multiple tentacular muscles, and the ability to exert control over the hive mind of the ants the virus was extracted from.

Though the t-Veronica virus is a useful tool for transhumanism purposes, it is useless as a bio-weapon, as its infection rate is low and it can only be transferred through direct injection. Because she is able to mentally control any organism infected with t-Veronica, Alexia, rather than use the virus as a weapon, planned to use her infected ants to spread the virus around the world by biting and injecting humans and animals with the virus, giving her control of every creature on earth.

NE-T virus

The NE-T virus is very similar to the t-virus, but was designed specifically for the Tyrant Project.

According to the series timeline, Umbrella required B.O.W.s that were not only stronger, but could understand and complete missions, and due to the nature of the t-virus, all of its B.O.W.s were unable to do this. The project was divided between an American team, led by Birkin, which would work on increasing the B.O.W.s' strength and ability to detect organisms, and a European team that would work on increasing their intelligence. The two teams traded theories and ideas that included the first experiments in directly operating on a subject's brain. The American team succeeded in creating the NE-T virus, along with the T-002, which could follow simple orders such as "Restrain" and "Attack", though its intelligence was insufficient for field operations.

In response to reports of the T-002’s failure, Umbrella renamed the European team's project with the title "Goddess of Vengeance", or "Nemesis", and gave it the new goal of eliminating all anti-Umbrella elements; specifically, the S.T.A.R.S. The European team made a breakthrough with the creation of the NE-α, an organism created from the NE-t virus that affected the host's brain. Further experiments with this strain led to the creation of the T-103, also known as "Mr. X".

T-Cameron virus

The t-Cameron virus is a hypothetical name for Dr. Cameron's experimental "t" strain, appearing in Biohazard 4D Executor. It was created when Cameron injected herself with an experimental serum, to stop the t-virus from spreading when she was infected. However the serum mutated her body, allowing her the capabilities of massive shapeshifting. While her body was killed, another unforeseen side effect of the virus took place when her body was eaten by insects, her consciousness apparently had been encoded within her cells. Given this, she had become effectively immortal, as long as she had a viable host to transfer any source of her corrupt DNA to remake it into her next body. She used these powers to leap from a cockroach that had consumed trace cells from her corpse to a nearby rat, to a crow outside and from there to a member of the U.B.C.S. unit sent to retrieve her investigation. While this last body was destroyed, she had a "backup", which eventually was absorbed by another member of the same unit, allowing her to escape Raccoon.

T-JCCC203

T-JCCC203 was an experimental t-variant mutagen. It was administered to 63 year old Doug Frost in the Abandoned Hospital during its Drugs, Inc. ownage phase. Doug's cancer was destroyed, but his joy fell short when the t-virus killed him hours later.

The same chemical was administered to 35 year old Dorothy Lester, whose health came back to her to the point she would no longer need a respirator. However the side effect was an increased metabolism, ultimately leading to t-virus infestation and death after she killed an investigator perusing into the Abandoned Hospital's affairs.

G-virus

The only known successful hosts of the G-virus are William Birkin and Curtis Miller.

According to the series timeline, it was developed by Birkin after its basis was discovered in the mutated body of Lisa Trevor. She had displayed an unexpected immunity to the NE-α parasite that they tested on her, and Birkin and his associates found what would become the G-virus as the cause of this immunity. It turned out that the G-virus was a mutation of the Progenitor virus she had originally been infected with, that arose by absorbing all the other mutagens she had been given. Birkin received approval from Umbrella to begin studying the virus, and completed his work on it in 1998. However, due to disagreements with his superiors, he decided to keep the research to himself and made a deal with the US military to extract him. In response, Umbrella sent in the Umbrella Special Forces Unit to steal his research and virus samples. The unit shot Birkin and left him for dead, but while dying, he injected himself with a sample of the virus, and mutated. He tracked the USS team to the sewers, and during the ensuing onslaught, several t-virus vials were dropped and broken, causing the city-wide infection, spread through rodents. However, HUNK, the lone survivor of the team, was able to escape and deliver the virus to Umbrella. It was later discovered by Claire Redfield that the pharmaceutical company "Wilpharma Corporation" had purchased a sample of the virus on the black market, with the intent to develop a vaccine. These plans, however, were soon dropped. Soon after, Curtis Miller, a survivor of the Raccoon City incident, demanding that the world know the truth about the outbreak, along with the government's involvement , injected himself with a sample of the virus, mutating himself before eventually being killed falling from a high height in Wilpharma's research dome, after unsuccessfully trying to obtain his sister, Angela Miller, to pass on the G-virus. Members of the Tricell company later began to salvage Curtis's remains, for reasons as of yet unknown.

The mutations induced by the G-virus tend to be extremely volatile. Unlike the t-virus, the mutations caused by the G-virus occur much faster, and continue as long as the host is active, even lacking external stimuli, though they are more rapid and substantial when the host is wounded. Also, the G-virus possesses none of the necrotizing properties that the t-virus is known for. The virus is transmitted through implantation or ingestion, rather than physical contact. It can only be accepted fully by hosts with a suitable genetic makeup, specifically a blood relative. However, it can also partially infect others by implantation of G-embryos, producing severe mutations that culminate in the host being able to release further G-embryos. Hosts, called G-mutants, create their offspring by orally implanting small, parasitic organisms into a living host through the palm of their hand. If the host is compatible, the embryo begins to pupate and assimilate the host's body, turning them into a mutant of immense strength. If the host is incompatible, the embryo will rapidly grow inside the host's body, and will burst from their chest in a matter of minutes. They will then quickly mutate into their adult form and search for another host.

Though the G-virus is a somewhat useful tool for transhumanism purposes, it is inefficient as a bio-weapon, due to its poor communicability.

The G-virus can be cured by DEVIL, an experimental vaccine. However, the vaccine is only effective during the initial stages of an impregnation-induced infection, before the embryos gestate.

Other viruses

Unknown virus

In Wesker's Report, it is revealed that Birkin gave Wesker an unnamed virus to use when he faked his death in 1998 at the Mansion Incident, and as a side-effect he receives superhuman strength and speed. It has no visible side-effects besides changing the color of his eyes. According to CAPCOM's Resident Evil website, the virus is a version of the t-virus.[2]

The virus speeds the host's metabolism, giving it heightened strength, speed, and regenerative abilities. Unlike the other viruses featured in the series, it is not a severely mutagenic virus, and its effects are limited to muscle tissue and lower organs, leaving the nervous system untouched.

As a prerequisite to increasing the host's speed, the virus also affects ocular tissue, allowing it to view and process visual information at a speed allegedly equatable to raptors. This modification of the eyes is the only visible effect of the virus on its host.

The virus is discussed in one of the files of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. This file, called "Memo about Virus", explains that the virus is from the "mutation stocks". Requiring an injection of at least 5 minutes prior to use, 10% of subjects fail to revive, while 20% revive as they were originally and 70% revive with its beneficial mutations to the muscle system and circulatory system.

tG-virus

The tG-virus (also known as Reagent 92), as its name suggests, a fusion of the t and G-viruses. It imbues its carriers with qualities of both strains, as well as odd electrical properties. As demonstrated by Morpheus Duvall, it causes instant mutations when injected into a human host.

[kny111]

According to sources in the British government who spoke to CNN, the UK then reached out to both the United States and Cuba “to find a suitable port for the Braemar.”

Which country took them in? If you’ve paid attention to the Trump administration’s xenophobic rhetoric about “the Chinese virus” and its obsession with keeping foreign nationals out of the country, and you know anything about Cuba’s tradition of sending doctors to help with humanitarian crises all around the world, you should be able to guess the answer.

The Braemar docked in the Cuban port of Mariel last Wednesday. Passengers who were healthy enough to travel to their home countries were transported to the airport in Havana. Those who were too sick to fly were offered treatment at Cuban hospitals — even though there had only been ten confirmed cases in the whole country, and allowing patients from the cruise ship to stay threatened to increase the number.

Cuba Mobilizes Against the Virus

Despite being a poor country that often experiences shortages — a product of both the economy’s structural flaws and the effects of sixty years of economic embargo by its largest natural trading partner — Cuba was better positioned than most to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The country combines a completely socialized medical system that guarantees health care to all with impressive biotech innovations. A Cuban antiviral drug (Interferon Alfa-2B) has been used to combat the coronavirus both inside the country and in China. Cuba also boasts 8.2 doctors per 1,000 people — well over three times the rate in the United States (2.6) or South Korea (2.4), almost five times as many as China (1.8), and nearly twice as many as Italy (4.1).

On top of its impressive medical system, Cuba has a far better track record of protecting its citizens from emergencies than other poor nations — and even some rich ones. Their “comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck” hurricane-preparedness system, for example, is a marvel, and the numbers speak for themselves. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew killed dozens of Americans and hundreds of Haitians. Not a single Cuban died. Fleeing residents were even able to bring their household pets with them — veterinarians were stationed at the evacuation centers.

The coronavirus will be a harder challenge than a hurricane, but Cuba has been applying the same “all-hands-on-deck” spirit to prepare. Tourism has been shut down (a particularly painful sacrifice, given the industry’s importance to Cuba’s beleaguered economy). And the nationalized health care industry has not only made sure that thousands of civilian hospitals are at the ready for coronavirus patients, but that several military hospitals are open for civilian use as well.

Masks: A Tale of Two Countries

In the United States, the surgeon general and other authorities tried to conserve face masks for medical professionals by telling the public that the masks “wouldn’t help.” The problem, as Dr Zeynep Tufekci argued in a recent New York Times op-ed, is that the idea that doctors and nurses needed the masks undermined the claim that they would be ineffective. Authorities correctly pointed out that masks would be useless (or even do more harm than good) if not used correctly, but as Tufekci notes, this messaging never really made sense. Why not launch an aggressive educational campaign to promote the dos and don’ts of proper mask usage rather than telling people they’d never be able to figure it out?

Many people also wash their hands wrong, but we don’t respond to that by telling them not to bother. Instead, we provide instructions; we post signs in bathrooms; we help people sing songs that time their hand-washing. Telling people they can’t possibly figure out how to wear a mask properly isn’t a winning message. Besides, when you tell people that something works only if done right, they think they will be the person who does it right, even if everyone else doesn’t.

The predictable result of all of this is that, after weeks of “don’t buy masks, they won’t work for you” messaging, so many have been purchased that you can’t find a mask for sale anywhere in the United States outside of a few on Amazon for absurdly gouged prices.

In Cuba, on the other hand, nationalized factories that normally churn out school uniforms and other non-medical items have been repurposed to dramatically increase the supply of masks.

Cuban Doctors Abroad

The same humanitarian and internationalist spirit that led Cuba to allow the Braemar to dock has also led the tiny country to send doctors to assist Haiti after that nation’s devastating 2010 earthquake, fight Ebola in West Africa in 2014, and, most recently, help Italy’s overwhelmed health system amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Cuba offered to send similar assistance to the United States after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, but was predictably rebuffed by the Bush administration.)

Even outside of temporary emergencies, Cuba has long dispatched doctors to work in poor countries with shortages of medical care. In Brazil, Cuban doctors were warmly welcomed for years by the ruling Workers’ Party. That began to change with the ascendance of far-right demagogue Jair Bolsonaro. When he assumed office, Bolsonaro expelled most of the Cuban doctors from the country, insisting that they were in Brazil not to heal the sick but “to create guerrilla cells and indoctrinate people.”

As recently as two weeks ago, Bolsonaro was calling the idea that the coronavirus posed a serious threat to public health  a “fantasy.” Now that reality has set in, he’s begging the Cuban doctors to come back.

Embracing Complexity About Cuba

Last month, Bernie Sanders was red-baited and slandered by both Republicans and establishment Democrats for acknowledging the real accomplishments of the Cuban Revolution. It didn’t seem to matter to these critics that Sanders started and ended his comments by calling the Cuban government “authoritarian” and condemning it for keeping political prisoners. Instead, they seemed to judge his comments by what I called the “Narnia Standard.” Rather than frankly discussing both the positive and negative aspects of Cuban society, the island state is treated as if it lacks any redeeming features — like Narnia before Aslan, where it was “always winter and never Christmas.”

Democratic socialists value free speech, press freedom, multiparty elections, and workplace democracy. We can and should criticize Cuba’s model of social organization for its deficits. But Cuba’s admirably humane and solidaristic approach to the coronavirus should humble those who insist on talking about the island nation as if it were some unending nightmare.