The Impact of “Omic” and Imaging Technologies on Assessing the Host Immune Response to Biodefence Agents

• Published in: Journal of Immunology Research Vol. 2014; no. 2014; pp. 1 - 17
• Main Authors: Rowland, Caroline A., Elmore, Michael J., Flick-Smith, Helen, Tree, Julia A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2014; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Animal models in research; Bacillus anthracis; Bacillus anthracis - immunology; Bacillus anthracis - physiology; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Disease; DNA; Ebola virus; Ebolavirus - immunology; Ebolavirus - physiology; Experiments; Flow Cytometry - methods; Francisella tularensis; Francisella tularensis - immunology; Francisella tularensis - physiology; Gene expression; Genomes; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing - methods; Host-parasite relationships; Host-Pathogen Interactions - genetics; Host-Pathogen Interactions - immunology; Humans; Immune response; Immune System - immunology; Immune System - microbiology; Immune System - virology; Immunology; Immunotherapy; Infections; Medical imaging; Medical research; Microarray Analysis - methods; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Pathogenesis; Public health; Review; Studies; Tomography; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 2314-8861; 2314-7156
• DOI: 10.1155/2014/237043

Understanding the interactions between host and pathogen is important for the development and assessment of medical countermeasures to infectious agents, including potential biodefence pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, Ebola virus, and Francisella tularensis. This review focuses on technological advances which allow this interaction to be studied in much greater detail. Namely, the use of “omic” technologies (next generation sequencing, DNA, and protein microarrays) for dissecting the underlying host response to infection at the molecular level; optical imaging techniques (flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy) for assessing cellular responses to infection; and biophotonic imaging for visualising the infectious disease process. All of these technologies hold great promise for important breakthroughs in the rational development of vaccines and therapeutics for biodefence agents.