Nanoparticle vaccine strategy could protect against Ebola and other deadly filoviruses Scripps Research scientists turn nanoparticles into virus showcases to help the immune system recognize deadly threats.
December 18, 2025
LA JOLLA, CA Filoviruses get their name from the Latin word filum, meaning thread a reference to their long, filamentous shape. This virus family contains some of the most dangerous pathogens known to science, including Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo and Marburg viruses. One reason these viruses remain so deadly is the instability of their surface proteins, which makes them difficult for our immune systems to detect and challenging for researchers to target with treatments or vaccines.
Now, a Nature Communications study (currently an Article-in-Press) from Scripps Research scientists published on December 12, 2025, describes new vaccine candidates designed to protect against multiple filovirus strains. These vaccines display filovirus surface proteins on engineered, self-assembling protein nanoparticles (SApNPs), helping the immune system better recognize and respond to the virus. In mouse studies, the nanoparticles triggered strong antibody responses across several filoviruses, highlighting a promising path toward broader, more effective protection for this dangerous family of viruses.
Filoviruses demand better solutions outbreaks have been devastating, with extremely high mortality rates, says senior author Jiang Zhu, professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology. For the last decade, I've been applying my physics background to master protein design. My goal is to develop a universal design blueprint for every major virus family, so that when a new outbreak occurs, we already have a strategy ready to deploy.
Zhu's next-generation vaccine efforts focus on viral surface glycoproteins the proteins viruses use to enter cells and that the immune system must target for protection. His team uses an approach called rational, structure-based design, which involves studying these glycoproteins in extremely fine detail, engineering stable, well-shaped versions, and carrying them on virus-shaped protein balls the SApNPs that reliably trigger strong immune responses.
The team has already applied this vaccine platform to viruses such as HIV-1, hepatitis C, RSV, hMPV and influenza. Filoviruses were the next major challenge.
Filoviruses such as Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) can cause viral hemorrhagic fever, with fatality rates reaching up to 90%. During the 2013 2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, more than 11,000 people died and over 28,000 were infected. While two vaccines are approved for Ebola, no vaccine provides broad protection across the full filovirus family.
This is in part because of filovirus' surface glycoproteins. These proteins are naturally unstable, and their vulnerable regions epitopes are hidden beneath a thick layer of glycans, forming a molecular invisibility cloak. In the pre-fusion state (before the virus enters a cell), this shield makes it difficult for immune cells to recognize the virus. Once the virus fuses with a cell, the glycoprotein refolds into a post-fusion shape, further complicating immune targeting.
In 2021, Zhu's team addressed this problem in a study published in Nature Communications, where they mapped the Ebola glycoprotein structure in detail and developed a strategy to stabilize it. By removing the mucin-rich segments, they created a cleaner, more accessible version of the protein one that was easier for the immune system to detect and capable of generating stronger, more useful antibody responses.
After solving the Ebola problem in 2021, this new work takes that theory further and applies it across additional filovirus species, Zhu explains.
In the new study, the researchers redesigned filovirus glycoproteins so they stay fixed in their pre-fusion form the shape the immune system needs to recognize and bolster a response against. These redesigned proteins were then placed on Zhu's SApNP platform, forming spherical, virus-like particles coated with many copies of the viral antigens. Biochemical and structural tests confirmed the particles assembled correctly and displayed the proteins as intended.
When tested in mice, these nanoparticle vaccines produced strong immune responses, including antibodies that could both recognize and neutralize several different filoviruses. Additional changes to the sugars on the protein surface further exposed conserved weak points, suggesting that this approach could eventually support a broader, possibly universal vaccine for this dangerous family of viruses.
Building on these results, Zhu's team is extending this structure-guided, nanoparticle-based strategy to other high-risk pathogens, including Lassa virus and Nipah virus. They are also studying new methods to weaken or bypass the mucin shield, allowing the immune system even greater access to critical viral targets.
Many factors affect how the immune system sees a virus and mounts a response, Zhu adds. Locking the antigen into its pre-fusion form gets you maybe 60% of the way there. But many viruses including HIV and filoviruses are covered by a dense glycan shield. If the immune system can't see through that shield, even the best-designed vaccine won't achieve full protection. Overcoming that invisibility cloak' is one of our next big goals.
In addition to Zhu, authors of the study, Rational design of next-generation filovirus vaccines combining glycoprotein stabilization and nanoparticle display with glycan modification, include Yi-Zong Lee, Yi-Nan Zhang, Garrett Ward, Sarah Auclair, Connor DesRoberts, Andrew Ward, Robyn Stanfield, Linling He and Ian Wilson of Scripps Research; Maddy Newby, Joel Allen and Max Crispin of the University of S
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
Nanoparticle vaccine strategy could protect against Ebola and other deadly filoviruses Scripps Research scientists turn nanoparticles into virus showcases to help the immune system recognize deadly threats.
