Ebola Virus: Global and India threats, Synergy of AI and 3D Bioprinting in Next-Generation Therapeutics, Variants, Spillover Dynamics, Cellular Tropism Mechanism, Host Models for Rapid Drug and Vaccine Discovery

Abstract

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a severe, fatality-prone zoonotic infectious disease, which remains a prominent health threat around the world owing to its fast propagation, frequent occurrence, and serious repercussions on both medical and socio-economic fronts. The factors like increasing globalization, environmental alterations, and contact between humans and reservoir animals have escalated the chances of emergence and global dissemination of Ebola virus. In this review article, the focus will be on examining the taxonomy, structural biology, global and Indian threats, mutations, spillover events, cell-specific tropism, and pathophysiology associated with the Ebola virus. Moreover, the review also throws light on the expanding influence of artificial intelligence, computational biology, and 3D bioprinting in outbreak prediction, genomics-based surveillance, discovery of antiviral drugs and vaccines, and modeling of viral diseases. AI-driven tools have expedited medical research, while 3D bioprinting has facilitated a better understanding of the infection process and effectiveness of antiviral agents through bioengineered human-like samples.