VITN Blog Post #1: Advanced imagery provides better view of a tiny virus capable of potential gene therapies

Researchers from the Salk Institute and the University of Florida have utilized cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to visualize shapes of an adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) virus with a remarkable level of detail. The image they got was much better resolution than anything previously accomplished. This method has allowed investigators to really see inside the tiny structure and is changing their understanding of the biomolecules and their respective mechanisms. They are even going so far as to say that the technique is capable of reaching resolutions down to the level of a single atom. The AAV2 virus was ideal for the current cryo-EM analysis due to its high level of symmetry. It allowed for researchers to get 60-fold more information.This will allow for the advancement of the viral potential of AAV2 in gene therapies targeting certain inherited types of blindness, hemophilia and diseases of the nervous system. In the future, the hope is that this method along with data generation techniques will allow for new versions of cryo-EM instruments that cost less and open up the possibilities for all fields of structural biology research.

Check out the full article here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180907091503.htm

— Miao G.