How a dangerous tick-borne virus sneaks into the brain

Sep 24, 2025

Jack Leeming, Chief Editor of Nature Careers, dives into the intriguing world of machine learning and its impact on US grant cancellations. He discusses how his team used AI to simulate NIH funding cuts, revealing that high-impact research could have faced dire consequences. Additionally, the conversation touches on the surprising reactions from researchers about the potential loss of crucial projects. Leeming emphasizes the need for transparency in grant decisions and the implications for the future of scientific funding.

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INSIGHT

LRP8 Is A Key Receptor For TBE

Researchers used CRISPR screens to identify human genes needed for TBE virus entry into cells.
LRP8 stood out as a cell-surface receptor highly expressed in neurons and astrocytes and critical for infection.

INSIGHT

Decoy Receptor Blocks Infection

Blocking the viral binding domain reduced infection in lab cells and in mice.
Pre-treating virus or mice with the receptor fragment protected mice from clinical disease.

INSIGHT

Brain Expression Explains Neurotropism

Neuronal cells derived from stem cells and mouse models validated the receptor's role in brain infection.
LRP8's brain expression may explain TBE's neurotropism compared with other flaviviruses.

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00:48 New insights into tick-borne encephalitis

Researchers have identified a key protein that helps tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the brain. In rare cases an infection can lead to serious neurological symptoms, but little was known about how the virus interacts with human cells. Now, a team show that a protein found on the outside of cells plays an important role in infection. In mouse experiments, they show that blocking the ability of the virus to bind to this protein protected the mice from disease. Currently no treatments exist, but the team hopes that this research will ultimately lead to a viable drug for this disease.

Research Article: Mittler et al.

08:47 Research Highlights

The squirming robot that speeds up the insertion of an emergency breathing tube — plus, the 10,000-year-old remains that could be the oldest intentionally preserved mummies

Research Highlight: Soft robot steers itself down the human airway

Research Highlight: Smoke-dried mummies pre-date Egypt’s embalmed bodies

11:21 How might cancelled NIH grants affect the future of US science?

To assess the potential impact of cuts to funding by the Trump administration, Nature trained a machine-learning bot to try and reproduce the NIH’s method of cancelling grants and applied it to science that was successfully funded around ten years ago. This thought experiment shows that highly impactful science and medical research might have been at risk had a similar process been followed a decade ago, revealing the potentially broad-reaching consequences of these actions today.

Nature Index: What research might be lost after the NIH’s cuts? Nature trained a bot to find out

News: Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature

20:54 Briefing Chat

What researchers understand about chatbot-induced psychosis, and the AI designed viruses capable of killing E. coli bacteria.

Nature: Can AI chatbots trigger psychosis? What the science says

Nature: World’s first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life

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