Electrically Regulated Cell-based Intervention for Viral Infections

This work reports on an engineered cell that-when electrically stimulated-synthesizes a desired protein, that is, . The platform has been used to express interferon (IFN)-β as a universal antiviral protein. Compelling evidence indicates the inevitability of new pandemics and drives the need for a pan-viral intervention that may be quickly deployed while more specific vaccines are in development. Toward this goal, a fast-growing mammalian cell () has been engineered with multiple synthetic elements. These include-(1) a voltage-gated Ca channel () that, upon sensing the electric field, activates the (2) Ca-mediated signaling pathway () to upregulate (3) IFN-β, via an engineered antiviral transgene (), that is, ➔. The antiviral effects of the ➔ have been validated on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected cells. The irradiated , that does not exhibit oncogenic capacity, continues to exert antiviral effect. The resulting ➔ uses a novel signaling pathway that, unlike the natural IFN synthesis pathway, is not subject to viral interference. Once clinically validated, the will be a universal antiviral cell therapy that can be immediately deployed in the event of an outbreak. The platform may also be useful in treating other diseases including cancer and autoimmune disorders.