Summary: In the midst of a global pandemic with COVID-19, it’s hard to appreciate how lucky those outside of Africa have been to avoid the deadly Ebola virus disease. It incapacitates its victims soon after infection with massive vomiting or diarrhea, leading to death from fluid loss in about 50 percent of the afflicted. The Ebola virus transmits only through bodily fluids, marking a key difference from the COVID-19 virus and one that has helped contain Ebola’s spread. Ebola outbreaks continue to flare up in West Africa, although a vaccine developed in December 2019 and improvements in care and containment have helped keep Ebola in check. Supercomputer simulations by a University of Delaware team that included an undergraduate supported by the XSEDE EMPOWER program are adding to the mix and helping to crack the defenses of Ebola’s coiled genetic material. This new research could help lead to breakthroughs in treatment and improved vaccines for Ebola and other deadly viral diseases such as COVID-19. Podcast host Jorge Salazar talks with the research team about their findings on Ebola - Juan Perilla, Chaoyi Xu, Tanya Nesterova, and Nidhi Katyal. Perilla is an Assistant Professor, Xu a PhD student, Nesterova an undergraduate researcher, and Katyal a postdoctoral researcher, all in the Perilla Lab, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware.
