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A new way to make a virus-fighting protein could save lives during the next pandemic 

The quick and portable production process, described in a newly accepted paper in the journal New Biotechnology, could be easily deployed at the source of a future virus outbreak

A multidisciplinary research team has produced a promising virus-fighting protein using a quick, portable process that could be easily deployed at the source of a future virus outbreak. The team includes researchers from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), Stanford University, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Center for Advanced Translational Science. The research has been accepted for publication in the journal New Biotechnology.

Griffithsin is a protein originally isolated from red algae. More than a decade ago, researchers in the Molecular Targets Program of the NCI discovered it could protect cells from the HIV virus and it is now in Phase 1 clinical trials in humans. Griffithsin sticks to the surface glycoproteins of certain viruses, making it difficult for the virus to enter host cells. (Glycoproteins are proteins with sugar molecules on them.)

“It’s like taking clay and sticking it to the prongs of an electrical plug to prevent it from entering a socket,” says Govind Rao, a professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at UMBC who is one of the lead researchers on the project. The protein disables a wide range of viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

Medicines that are made with biological molecules like griffithsin are called biologics. They are normally manufactured in huge batches using living cells such as E.coli bacteria. (The cells are given DNA-encoded instructions for how to make the medicine.) However, that method has drawbacks, including the need to keep the cells alive. 

Rao and his colleagues developed a method to manufacture griffithsin that does not require living cells. Instead, the researchers take the protein-manufacturing “guts” out of the cells. Into this soup of cellular components, they then add the DNA instructions for making griffithsin, along with the needed molecular building blocks. 

“The cellular machinery still works, even without a living cell to support it,” says Rao. “The method is simple and effective.”

Using cell-free manufacturing methods, the researchers produced significant quantities of griffithsin in less than 24 hours. They purified the protein to strict standards and demonstrated in lab experiments that it could disable both HIV and SARS-CoV-2 virusesas effectively as the same griffithsin protein made by living cells.

The researchers envision that the method could be quickly deployed to make antiviral medicine at the origin of disease outbreaks. The method could be easily adapted to work with a portable, suitcase-sized biologics manufacturing device, dubbed Bio-MOD, that Rao and a team of mostly UMBC researchers recently developed. They described the device in a 2018 paper in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

The new griffithsin protein manufacturing process together with the portable Bio-MOD device could be a powerful weapon to quickly combat new viruses before they spread.

read full article: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/985854

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Name: Gaurav Baser

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: Amtrak

Position Title: Ecommerce Developer Intern

Major or Program: Computer Science

Current Class Level: Master's Student

Work Term: Fall 2022

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities. 

My day to day responsibility was to provide assistance in various software development projects for Amtrak.com using technologies and platforms such as Angular,Adobe Experience Manager,HTML CSS and debugged several developmental issues/defects.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application? 

Using LinkedIn, I discovered an open opening for this position and applied. After applying, I was called for an interview in 2-3 weeks.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience? 

LinkedIn or Other Social Media

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?  

The thing I enjoyed the most was the events that were organized by Amtrak to socialize with other interns that enhanced my soft skills.I learned a lot by working with lead software engineers got hands on technical knowledge.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

I was working on crucial project cookie consent ,I dug out useful/critical insights for them

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience? 

Keep applying, rejections will come but don't give up , and take a chance—the best things take time to come be patient and never quit in your life. 

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

"At the end of the day,you put all the work in,and eventually it'll pay off.It could be in a year,it could be in 30 years.Eventually,your hard work will pay off"-Kevin Hart 

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