RNA viruses are often considered to present the highest threat for triggering a worldwide pandemic. In their new Nature Methods paper, researchers from Professor Eric Miska’s group and international collaborators describe a new technique to determine the structure of the Zika virus RNA genome while replicating inside human cells, as well as to explore how Zika virus interacts with the host's own RNA. The technique is called COMRADES (Crosslink Of Matched RNAs And DEep Sequencing) and, importantly, it can be applied to any RNA virus in any host cell and provides insight into how viruses direct the host cell to create new virus particles. COMRADES could also allow researchers to design artificial molecules capable of blocking the virus replication process and preventing the virus spreading.
