On-Demand Webinar Series

Abstract

Equid alpha-herpesviruses (EHV) are responsible for different diseases in equine population. EHV-1 causes respiratory diseases, abortions and nervous disorders, In this presentation, we documented the interest of the Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) technology to monitor the cytopathic effects induced by EHV-1 on equine dermal cells, and established the efficacy of this method to evaluate the antiviral effect of aciclovir and ganciclovir . In addition, the RTCA technology has also been found appropriate for the high-throughput screening of small molecules against EHV. Among the 2891 compounds screened, 22 molecules have been found to be effective in vitro against EHV-1. Decitabine, ganciclovir, and valganciclovir, were the most effective compounds identified, and their antiviral potency was further assessed on E. Derm, RK13 and EEK cells and against 3 different field strains of EHV-1 (ORF30 2254A/G/C) using RTCA technology. We also provide evidences of synergistic interactions between valganciclovir and decitabine in our in vitro antiviral assay as determined by impedance measurement and qPCR assays.

About the Speakers

Côme Thieulent obtained his master's degree in science in 2016 from the University of Caen Normandie (France). Then he worked for a year at the Frank Duncombe laboratory (France) as an engineer and started working with RTCA technologies. Since 2017 Côme has been a doctoral student at the University of Caen (France) and works at the Frank Duncombe laboratory (France). He uses xCELLigence technology throughout his doctoral work to identify new antiviral compounds to fight equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1).

Gabrielle Sutton graduated from her MsC degree in Microbiology in 2013 at the University of Caen Normandy (Caen, France). In 2018, she started a PhD in Virology at LABEO and worked on the equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). As part of her PhD program, she is studying the immune response of horses exposed to vaccination against EHV-1 or natural infection using in vitro virus culture and a neutralisation assay with the xCELLigence technology.

Stéphane Pronost began his researcher's career in 1990 at the University of Caen (France) within the Laboratory of Biochemistry of Connective Tissue, developing molecular tools for cytokine expression studies in humans. He joined the Frank Duncombe Laboratory (France) with the mission of building up a R&D service in 1995. After having set-up PCR assays in different animal species, he focused on equine viral diseases and more lately on herpesvirus, equine arteritis equine influenza and Hepacivirus. His recent works concern EHV-1 and the different expression forms of its pathology, specifically EHV-1-associated myeloencephalopathy. His team has developed different study models for equine herpesviruses which have led recently to the isolation of a new strain of EHV-1 and the implementation of a screening protocol for antiviral molecules, based on RTCA technology. Since 2018 he manages the Impedancell Platform in a BSL-2 confinement (LABEO site, Impedancell Real-Time Cellular Activity - https://www.impedancell.fr/en ).