New method to accelerate vaccine and drug development for norovirus
Researchers from The University of Osaka have developed a simple and efficient system for understanding the functions of specific norovirus genes, providing new avenues for developing antivirals and vaccines
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Outline of Recombinant Human Norovirus Generation Using Zebrafish Embryos
view moreCredit: Takeshi Kobayashi (Created with Biorender.com)
Osaka, Japan – Norovirus is the leading cause of gastroenteritis and is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. However, research progress into antiviral treatments and vaccines has been hindered by the absence of a robust ‘reverse genetics’ system.
Now, a team at The University of Osaka has successfully overcome this long-standing barrier to norovirus research, developing a simple and efficient research system for human norovirus.
Reverse genetics systems allow the functions of genes to be determined by changing an individual gene and observing the result, creating what is known as a ‘recombinant’ virus. They are powerful tools for studying how viruses replicate and cause disease, and aid in the development of novel antiviral therapies and vaccines. The team at The University of Osaka applied virological techniques to a zebrafish model to create a novel reverse genetics system capable of generating infectious human noroviruses.
The system they developed involves the direct injection of norovirus cDNA clones into zebrafish embryos, which is a very simple and efficient method to generate infectious noroviruses. The team demonstrated the utility of this system by generating genetically manipulated noroviruses, possessing specific mutations or tagged with ‘reporter genes’.
Reporter genes are genetic modifications, such as chemiluminescent molecules, that can tag the virus and report on its activity and location within a host cell, enabling visualization of the virus in action. This ability to manipulate the virus enables the mechanisms of viral replication and pathogenesis to be investigated.
“This will also allow the development of novel vaccines with controlled antigenicity and pathogenicity,” explains senior author Takeshi Kobayashi.
This system fills a critical gap in human norovirus research. The ability to support antiviral screening and accelerate vaccine development could make it a transformative tool for the field. As this approach becomes more widely used, it will lay the groundwork for more effective public health strategies and a markedly reduced global burden of norovirus infection.
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The article, “Recovery of infectious recombinant human norovirus using zebrafish embryos”, was published in PNAS at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2526726122
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Animals
Article Title
Recovery of Infectious Recombinant Human Norovirus Using Zebrafish Embryos
Article Publication Date
4-Dec-2025
Houston Methodist partners with CEPI and international scientific institutions to advance first AI-designed mRNA vaccine against deadly Tick-borne disease
Exemplar vaccine to accelerate response to future epidemics and pandemics
Houston Methodist Research Institute is collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and leading scientific institutions in the Republic of Korea to develop what could become the world’s first mRNA vaccine against severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)—a tick-borne viral disease associated with this condition.
Symptoms typically emerge after people are bitten by infected ticks or possibly infected domestic animals such as cats. They may range from fever and vomiting to multi-organ failure and death, especially in older adults. Severe SFTS cases have been reported in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Jimmy Gollihar, Ph.D., chief of translational sciences and head of Antibody Discovery and Accelerated Protein Therapeutics at Houston Methodist Research Institute, said Houston Methodist will apply cutting-edge AI and computational techniques to accelerate vaccine design—reducing timelines from weeks or months to hours while ensuring safety and broad immune protection.
"We are applying advanced AI and computational immunology to dramatically shorten the time it takes to move from a viral genome to a rationally designed vaccine candidate,” Gollihar said. “By working hand-in-hand with our partners in Korea and CEPI on this SFTS 'prototype' vaccine, we aim to design components that are both safer and capable of eliciting broad, durable protection, while generating insights that can be rapidly transferred to other phenuiviruses.”
Phenuiviruses are a large and diverse family of viruses that infect plants and animals—including humans and livestock. They are commonly transmitted by arthropod vectors, which are invertebrates with segmented bodies and jointed limbs, such as ticks and mosquitoes.
The collaboration aligns with the 100 Days Mission—a global goal, spearheaded by CEPI, prepping the world to respond in as little as 100 days when the next pandemic threat emerges.
“We don’t know what the next pandemic will be, but we know that we need to be prepared,” CEPI CEO Dr. Richard Hatchett said. “By advancing an SFTS vaccine, we will both help to address an increasingly menacing viral threat in Asia and generate scientific knowledge that could dramatically accelerate our response to the next Disease X. That way, we won’t be wasting valuable time creating a new vaccine from scratch if a deadly new phenuivirus emerges in the future.”
Other collaborators in the project include the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), ST Pharm, Seoul National University and the Korea Disease Control Agency. CEPI will invest up to $16 million to support preclinical and Phase I/II trials in Korea, led by IVI.
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