Prions:a threat to health security and the need for effective medical countermeasures

Prions are infectious conformations of certain naturally occurring proteins.These misfolded proteins can struc­turally alter healthy protein,creating misfolded copies that repeat the process and form protein aggregates that lead to neuronal cell death.Although years can pass from initial prion infection to clinical presentation of symp­toms,onset of symptoms is typically followed by rapid neurological decline resulting in death.Prion diseases have been characterized in animals ranging from sheep and cattle to cervids and humans,with notable cross-species infections such as the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.Thus,prions present a health risk with the potential to disrupt major food sources as well affect human health through animal to human and human to human trans­mission events.While human to human prion transmission is rare and the immediate risks for a prion-facilitated pandemic are low,prions are a class of pathogens for which we are underprepared.In addition,prions,and prion disease-like approaches,have also been discussed in the context of biological weapons and toxins,adding another layer of complexity surrounding biosecurity and biodefense.These threats underscore the need for increased scrutiny and research on prions.Here,pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical prion-specific interventions are discussed.Recent advances in prion therapeutic development are also briefly highlighted,and a set of policy rec­ommendations are given that aims to provide high level suggestions for the prevention and mitigation of prion diseases.

The Need for Biosecurity Education in Biotechnology Curricula

The growth of biotechnology in recent decades and the dual-use nature of most bioscience research are making their misuse,or accidental misuse or release,more likely and present as threats to biosecurity.A proactive approach is through educating the next generation of scientists to be more security conscious.However,current educational and professional programs in biosecurity are lacking.In this perspective,we recommend that biosecurity educational opportunities should be implemented and expanded for undergraduate and graduate students who will likely use one or more methods in the field of biotechnology.We then propose that biosecurity education is a key factor in a path toward sustainable and safe research.Finally,a set of 17 biosecurity competencies organized into 6 distinct themes is outlined.

An Overview of Antiviral Peptides and Rational Biodesign Considerations

Viral diseases have contributed significantly to worldwide morbidity and mortality throughout history.Despite the existence of therapeutic treatments for many viral infections,antiviral resistance and the threat posed by novel viruses highlight the need for an increased number of effective therapeutics.In addition to small molecule drugs and biologics,antimicrobial peptides(AMPs)represent an emerging class of potential antiviral therapeutics.While AMPs have traditionally been regarded in the context of their antibacterial activities,many AMPs are now known to be antiviral.These antiviral peptides(AVPs)have been shown to target and perturb viral membrane envelopes and inhibit various stages of the viral life cycle,from preattachment inhibition through viral release from infected host cells.Rational design of AMPs has also proven effective in identifying highly active and specific peptides and can aid in the discovery of lead peptides with high therapeutic selectivity.In this review,we highlight AVPs with strong antiviral activity largely curated from a publicly available AMP database.We then compile the sequences present in our AVP database to generate structural predictions of generic AVP motifs.Finally,we cover the rational design approaches available for AVPs taking into account approaches currently used for the rational design of AMPs.