{"id":488,"date":"2010-06-21T11:46:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-21T11:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/archives\/488-3d-printing-the-herpes-simplex-virus.html"},"modified":"2014-07-03T16:56:27","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T16:56:27","slug":"3d-printing-the-herpes-simplex-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/3d-printing-the-herpes-simplex-virus","title":{"rendered":"3D printing the Herpes Simplex virus"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Shapeways community member David
\n Bhella 3D printed<\/a> a 5 CM model of the Herpes Simplex Virus. The
\nHerpes was as a gift for a retiring professor. Presumably, said
\nprofessor is one of only a small group of people that are glad to have been given herpes. Intrigued I
\n asked David to tell us more about what he does at the MRC Virology Unit,
\nInstitute of Virology, University of Glasgow<\/a> with 3D printing. \n<\/p>\n

Joris Peels: Why are you interested in 3D printing?<\/font><\/p>\n

David Bhella: I am interested in all aspects of 3D technology (rapid
\nprototyping, 3D
\ndisplays and commercial 3D animation software), as my work is entirely focused on solving the structures of viruses in three-dimensions<\/b> and I
\nfind visualisation in 2D media deeply unsatisfactory.<\/p>\n

I think that rapid prototyping is a really interesting way of allowing
\none to appreciate the complexity and symmetry of viruses<\/b>. Holding the
\nmodel in your hand is such a ‘human’ way of understanding an object<\/b>.
\nUnfortunately the potential for understanding these structures at
\nhigh-resolution cannot be realised in this manner, because proteins are
\nextremely complex molecules, and a virus is a complex assembly of
\nproteins.  So, the Herpes model I have printed through Shapeways is
\ncomparatively low-resolution (about 2.5 nanometers resolution – the
\nobject itself is 125 nanometers in diameter)<\/b>. We are now working at
\nbetter than one nanometer resolution. At this level the 3D shape of
\nindividual protein molecules becomes visible, showing us how they fold
\nup<\/b>. To show this as a polygon surface becomes less meaningful then, and
\nwe have to start looking at more complex means of visualisation, also
\nthe poly count becomes so high that commercial 3D software cannot handle
\n it.<\/p>\n

For the moment then, the strength of 3D printing is in teaching and in
\npublic engagement<\/b> (and in bespoke gifts for retiring professors). I am
\nreally enthusiastic about the prospect of producing large metal
\nsculptures of virus particles that people can handle and walk around, I
\nthink that the beauty and symmetry of viruses really highlights the
\nelegance of nature and evolutionary processes<\/b>.  As I am the scientist
\nresponsible for public engagement in my department, I am lucky enough to
\n be able to dedicate some of my time to this area. Furthermore, my wife
\nis head of the science team in our local science museum (Glasgow Science
\n Centre), so I have access to a great venue for P.E activities, which is
\n staffed by motivated and enthusiastic science communicators who can
\nhelp me.  A couple of years ago we created an art exhibition called
\nmolecular machines (http:\/\/www.molecularmachines.<\/wbr>org.uk\/<\/a>)<\/b>, which
\ngot a lot of media attention. I think it would be great to produce a
\nmolecular machines 2.0 that exploited the latest in 3D panel displays
\nand 3D printing.<\/p>\n

Joris Peels: What do you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

David Bhella: I work on many aspects of the virus life-cycle using
\ncutting-edge
\nelectron microscopy<\/b> and image processing techniques to understand the
\nstructures of viruses in three-dimensions. Viruses are the smallest of
\npathogens to infect man and range from ~30 – 500 nm in size (A nanometer
\n is 1\/1000th of a micrometer which is 1\/1000th of a millimeter). They
\nreproduce themselves by invading our cells and hijacking the cellular
\nmachinery to make thousands more viruses particles. As they have a very
\nsmall number of genes, they assemble from multiple copies of only a few
\ntypes of protein. They are therefore highly symmetrical, employing
\neither helical or icosahedral symmetry to make a shell (called a capsid)
\n that ferries their genome between cells while protecting it from
\ndamage.<\/p>\n

So, we take 2D images in the transmission electron microscope and use
\nimage processing methods to average together images of thousands of
\nparticles into a 3D reconstruction<\/b>. I attach a raw image from the
\nmicroscope of a
\nFeline calicivirus. I am interested in this virus as it is from the same
\n family of viruses as the noroviruses that cause winter vomiting
\ndisease.

\nJoris Peels: Was it just fun?<\/font><\/p>\n

David Bhella: It is always fun!<\/p>\n


\n\"Bookmark<\/a>