Researchers at San Diego State University and Michigan State University are shedding new light on how viruses meticulously pack their genetic material — a breakthrough that could help researchers engineer antivirals and gene therapies. 

The team’s findings, which are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, reveal how a combination of molecular properties allow viruses to selectively gather their own RNA into protein shells called capsids while ignoring a host cell’s own competing genome. Like molecular armor, capsids shield a virus’s genetic material from damage and help it sneak into host cells.

Knowing how viruses package their RNA with high selectivity — a feat achieved with more than 99% accuracy by some viruses — could help scientists engineer their own versions of capsids in the lab and leverage them as powerful scientific tools. 

“From a health perspective, synthetic capsids can be used to create antivirals that target RNA packaging, which can impact humans, plant and animal agriculture, as well as veterinary medicine,” Kristin Parent said, director of MSU’s Cryo-EM Facility and an author of the latest paper.