Novel Therapeutic and Prophylactic Modalities to Protect U.S. Armed Forces Against Major Biological Threat Agents

Abstract : Research under current project has been carried out in three interconnected directions aimed to develop new therapeutic approaches against biological weapon threat agents, namely Bacillus anthracis and smallpox virus (using vaccinia virus model). We have successfully demonstrated new previously unexplored directions to improve anthrax antibiotic therapy by using a combination of antibiotic with apoptosis inhibitors and adenosine receptor agonists. New candidate virulence factors of B. anthracis have been suggested based on our bioinformatics analyses and experimental results. Evidence on toll-like receptor participation in both infections caused by B. anthracis and vaccinia virus has been obtained.