New research done at Utah State University reveals the benefits of using genetically modified Syrian hamsters in understanding common diseases.
“The major research focus in my laboratory is to develop genetic animal models for human disease” said Zhongde Wang, associate professor at Utah State University.
Wang and researchers from Saint Louis University have made a breakthrough in understanding adenovirus, which can lead to the common cold and other respiratory problems. The virus is especially dangerous for those with suppressed immune systems and small children.
So, like he has done in the past, Wang changed the genetics of several hamsters, in this case the Syrian hamster. They needed to find a way to turn off proteins in the body’s immune system that normally fight against invading pathogens. To do this they modified what is called the STAT 2 gene.
Ken White is an animal scientist and dean of the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences at USU. He said by disrupting the gene the team believes the Syrian hamster can be used in future research to study other diseases.
“His work has also shown that this model may be a great tool for dengue virus and even Ebola,” White said.
Not only can this hamster serve as a research tool to replicate human reaction, but Wang has discovered the Syrian hamster may also be useful in understanding infection and the development of antiviral drugs and vaccines.
“Another reason we were interested in this virus is that adenovirus has been used as a weapon to fight cancer, because if you genetically engineer this virus a little bit they will preferentially infect cancer cells and kill cancer cells,” Wang said. “And we needed to have a good animal model for such studies.”
The study was recently published in the August issue of the medical journal PLOS Pathogens.