The Mehedi lab research focuses on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is a highly contagious enveloped negative-strand RNA virus and causes severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants and elderly patients. There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral therapy available against RSV. To limit RSV infection, it is important to find broadly applicable and cost-effective countermeasures. Our laboratory is studying host-pathogen interactions aspect of RSV infection. We found that RSV infection increases induction of cellular protrusions (e.g. filopodia) and cell migration for its efficient cell-to-cell spread in vitro. Our hypothesis is that RSV infection hijacks cytoskeleton signaling involved in actin polymerization and exploits it to facilitate cell-to-cell spread through filopodia— a novel viral spread mechanism. We are determining cell-type specificity, viral factors, and cellular factors contributing to this novel cell-associated RSV spread. By delineating the mechanism of filopodia-driven RSV cell-to-cell spread, novel insights into RSV biology and targets for therapeutics development will be identified. Using a reporter-based cell-to-cell fusion assay and a fluorescence imaging-based scratch-wound migration assay, we will identify novel therapeutic drugs against RSV.
