Life Science cadets Serica Hallstead '20 and Jacob Keith '20 spent the past three weeks working on developing antibody therapeutics for potential use against viruses such as Ebola virus while on their Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, MD. The cadets worked in the lab of Dr. John Dye, one of world's leading researchers on filoviruses whose involvement in the development of the ZMAPP therapeutic proved invaluable during the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015. In the "cold side" of the Dye lab, where researchers safely study the non-infectious parts of these otherwise deadly viruses, the cadets infected cells with a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus that is enclosed with an Ebola glycoprotein. In this way, they were able to mimic Ebola infection and then use cell biology and molecular biology assays to evaluate the effectiveness of using antibodies to treat these mock infections.
In addition to conducting experiments in routine laboratory conditions, they were privileged to partake in USAMRIID's containment training lab. Here, the cadets donned the Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) "space suits" to simulate working in a BSL-4 seeing. The Dye team set up Lincoln Logs and dominos for the cadets, as well as the Operation board game. At first, the cadets were only able to set up 5 dominoes before knocking them over by accident, but they improved over time. The cadets also practiced switching air hoses, so they could move around the lab while maintaining their suit's airflow. Working in BSL-4 conditions is extremely valuable to developing ways to detect, treat, and ultimately vaccinate Soldiers against such deadly viruses, and the cadets gained an immense appreciation for the skill and training required for such work.