{"id":11070,"date":"2025-05-20T12:54:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T02:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/?post_type=news&p=11070"},"modified":"2025-05-20T12:54:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T02:54:06","slug":"how-herpes-simplex-virus-in-the-cornea-spreads-and-what-halts-its-progress","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/news\/how-herpes-simplex-virus-in-the-cornea-spreads-and-what-halts-its-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"How herpes simplex virus in the cornea spreads and what halts its progress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A collaborative research project involving two research centres at WIMR and UNSW has been published in the leading microbiology journal PLOS Pathogens<\/em>. It sheds new light on how herpes simplex keratitis (herpes simplex virus occurring in the cornea) spreads and the mechanisms that stop it from spreading further. These findings can help improve existing therapies for herpes keratitis and guide the development of new vaccines to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herpes simplex keratitis is a leading cause of blindness and, in some cases, leads to the need for corneal transplants. Approximately 1.5 million people are diagnosed each year with herpes simplex keratitis, including 40,000 new cases that result in severe visual impairment[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Little is known about how herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) enters the cornea, or how it spreads.\u00a0Lead researcher, WIMR\u2019s Professor Tony Cunningham AO said, \u201cTo examine the earliest stages of infection and spread of HSV-1 in the cornea, we developed a new model in the lab. We used a highly sensitive method for detecting HSV DNA, RNAscope (the ability to look at single RNA molecules) and fluorescently labelled virus.\u201d This project was the first HSV-1 study to use RNAscope and to demonstrate how the virus spreads in cornea. It also identified the mechanisms that stop the virus from spreading further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cornea comprises three main layers \u2013 the epithelium, stroma and endothelium. The anterior limiting membrane (ALM) or Bowman\u2019s layer sits between the epithelium and stroma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo examine the initial infection and spread of HSV-1 in detail, we adapted a model developed at WIMR and previously used to map viral infection in human genital mucosa,\u201d said Professor Cunningham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe discovered that for HSV-1 to enter the cornea, there must be some existing trauma to the uppermost layer of the epithelium, allowing the virus to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInterestingly, while the HSV-1 virus spreads quickly, we observed that it remained in the epithelium layer and did not penetrate the Bowman\u2019s layer. So, while the virus can spread and cause significant damage to sight, it is contained within the epithelium. This means that the design of new effective treatments and vaccines for herpes keratitis must take into account how quickly the virus spreads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe identified the presence of a protein called SPRR1A in the uppermost epithelium layer. When the cornea was infected, we also found SPRR1A in the Bowman\u2019s layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that SPRR1A contributes to the protective barrier function of human skin. Its presence in the cornea suggests that this barrier function contributes to limiting both superficial and deep HSV-1 spread.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research team is now using this model to examine donated human corneas from patients undergoing corneal transplant for blindness caused by herpes simplex keratitis. The next phase will aim to discover why some people with herpes simplex keratitis develop scarring and blindness, while others do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joint lead investigator, Associate Professor Nicole Carnt is Research Director at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW and is also a researcher with WIMR\u2019s Centre for Vision Research. Associate Professor Carnt concludes, \u201cThis study reveals the cornea’s impressive defenses against HSV1-related scarring and vision loss. Beyond aiding vaccine development, it identifies gene targets to enhance these protective mechanisms in keratitis patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/a> Farooq AV, Shukla D. Herpes simplex epithelial and stromal keratitis: an epidemiologic update. Surv Ophthalmol. 2012;57(5):448-462.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A collaborative research project involving two research centres at WIMR and UNSW has been published in the leading microbiology journal PLOS Pathogens. It sheds new light on how herpes simplex keratitis (herpes simplex virus occurring in the cornea) spreads and the mechanisms that stop it from spreading further. These findings can help improve existing therapies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11072,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-11070","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/11070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wimr.org.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}