Microbiology themes

Viruses are obligate parasites that infect hosts in all kingdoms of life. At the Faculty of Biological Sciences, we perform fundamental research on viruses that cause disease in humans and animals, translating the knowledge gained to improve human and animal health, and enhance food security. We address a broad range of research topics including virus-cell interactions focusing on those that contribute to virus replication and persistence, viral oncology,  immunity to viruses, virus structure and the development of vaccines and anti-viral agents. Viruses currently being investigated include the hepatitis viruses, picornaviruses, a number of emerging mosquito transmitted viruses (eg Chikungunya and Zika), and oncogenic DNA viruses including Kaposi’s Sarcoma herpesvirus, human papillomavirus and polyomaviruses.

We use a variety of experimental approaches ranging from cell biology through to structural biology, including proteomics and high-throughput sequencing to address our research questions.  We work closely and share a number of research groups with colleagues in Structural biology and Cancer biology and are all members of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology. There are also extensive collaborations with colleagues in the School of Chemistry, from which we exploit structure-based drug design as a rational approach to the development of novel anti-viral chemotherapeutics.

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