Developing a Drug Discovery Platform for African Horse Sickness

Transmitted by biting flies, African horse sickness is an extremely tragic and deadly disease of horses; mortality rates are as high as 90% in affected areas. Once exclusively found in Africa, outbreaks are now documented in the Middle East, Spain, and most recently in Southeast Asia. The risk for future outbreaks is slowly increasing due in part to climate change. While an available vaccine exists, it is not used outside of Africa due to safety concerns; this vaccine can revert to become fully infectious authentic virus. Furthermore, no drug or treatment is available for already infected horses and these animals are generally euthanized for outbreak control. Studies show, during African horse sickness virus infection, a protein called NS4 impairs the immune response in horses. Without this protein, infection with this virus is mild and non-fatal. Researchers believe the NS4 protein may be an ideal target for drug discovery. In this study, the team will perform the steps to prepare the NS4 protein for future drug fragment screens. These data will lay the foundation for rapid drug discovery targeting the NS4 protein of African horse sickness. Such drugs will be shelf-stable and can be purchased and stored in large quantities in preparation for future outbreaks, potentially saving the lives of thousands of horses who succumb to the disease with each outbreak.