Better designed vaccines for insect-spread viruses like dengue and Zika are likely after researchers discovered models of immature flavivirus particles were originally misinterpreted.

Researchers from The University of Queensland and Monash University have now determined the first complete 3D molecular structure of the immature flavivirus, revealing an unexpected organization.

UQ researcher Associate Professor Daniel Watterson said the team was studying the insect-specific Binjari virus when they made the discovery.

"We were using Australia's safe-to-handle Binjari virus, which we combine with more dangerous viral genes to make safer and more effective vaccines," Dr. Watterson said. 

"But when analyzing Binjari we could clearly see that the molecular structure we've all been working from since 2008 wasn't quite correct.

"Imagine trying to build a house when your blueprints are wrong - that's exactly what it's like when you're attempting to build effective vaccines and treatments and your molecular 'map' is not quite right."

The team used a technique known as cryogenic electron microscopy to image the virus, generating high-resolution data from Monash's Ramaciotti Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy facility.

With thousands of collected two-dimensional images of the virus, the researchers then combined them using a high-performance computing platform called 'MASSIVE' to construct a high-resolution 3D structure.

Monash's Associate Professor Fasséli Coulibaly, a co-leader of the study, said the revelation could lead to new and better vaccines for flaviviruses, which have a huge disease burden globally.

"Flaviviruses are globally distributed and the dengue virus alone infects around 400 million people annually," Dr. Coulibaly said.

"They cause a spectrum of potentially severe diseases including hepatitis, vascular shock syndrome, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, congenital abnormalities, and fetal death.

"This structure defines the exact wiring of the immature virus before it becomes infectious, and we now have a better understanding of the levers and pulleys involved in viral assembly.

"This is a continuation of fundamental research by us and others and, without this hard-won basic knowledge, we wouldn't have the solid foundation needed to design tomorrow's treatments."

On March 31, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) announced the 2020 Class of SIAM Fellows. These distinguished members were nominated for their exemplary research as well as outstanding service to the community. Through their contributions, SIAM Fellows help advance the fields of applied mathematics and computational science. Professor Zhang Pingwen from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University is inducted for his contributions in complex fluids modeling, multiscale analysis, and adaptive grid supercomputation. Professor Zhang is the only member to be elected this year among all faculty members from universities on the Chinese mainland.

Zhang Pingwen, vice president of Peking University and professor of the School of Mathematical Sciences, has published more than 100 papers in journals like JAMS, SINUM and PRL. His research interests include modeling and simulation of soft matter (complex fluids), applied analysis and numerical analysis, moving mesh methods and applications. {module INSIDE STORY}

SIAM was incorporated in 1952 as a nonprofit organization to convey useful mathematical knowledge to other professionals who could implement mathematical theory for practical, industrial, or scientific use.