We are happy to have been part of very important research project studying how a virus can infect human cells. In the paper "Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus uses LDLR to bind and enter host cells (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01672-3)" Vanessa Monteil, Shane Wright, and co-workers at Karolinska Institutet shows how CCHF virus is able to enter cells using Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor (LDLR) and glycoproteins to obtain high affinity interactions between the virus and cells. Attana technology was used to determine affinity and kinetics of the interactions and to elucidate the role of different glycoproteins.
CCHF virus is primarily transmitted to humans via tick bites, but humans can also infect each other. Usually, infected individuals develop fever and pain, but in the worst case it can lead to organ failure and death. The current publication is part of a larger project (https://news.ki.se/promising-drug-candidates-for-crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever-identified) to develop drugs against the virus, led by Docent Ali Mirazimi.