Nardus Mollentze is a post-doctoral researcher in Daniel Streicker’s lab.

Nardus’ research focuses on how viruses spread between different host species and what determines the species they can infect. Machine learning and statistics of large-datasets helps to identify patterns that apply to viruses.

Check out more work from the Streicker lab here.

PhD student Haris Malik from the Streicker Lab discusses work in the lab exploring the use of self-spreading vaccines in vampire bats.

In Latin America, rabies transmitted via bats is a huge problem for humans health and the livestock industry. Vaccines exist for other wildlife such as dogs however, bats are naturally elusive and it is hard to access the colonies. A potential resolution is the use of self-spreading vaccines, which have transmission capacity to spread to other animals in the population.

Check out more work from the Streicker Lab.

In 2021, the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research was announced as one of the winners of the Queens Anniversary Prize. This was awarded for advanced virology research to combat diseases such as Hepatitis C and dengue virus, and leading expertise in the secure handling of samples and testing antivirals.

Professor John McLauchlan, a leading expert in viral hepatitis at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, delves into the global impact of Hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus affecting 71 million people worldwide.

With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2030, the CVR has been at the forefront of research. Through initiatives like co-founding HCV Research UK, the team has created a cohort of 12,000 individuals living with Hepatitis C, supporting over 70 studies to better understand the virus and improve treatment. The HCV-GLUE computing resource aids clinicians in predicting treatment resistance, guiding optimal care.

Vaccine development for hepatitis C is difficult because of the high diversity of variants. An approach is being explored involving the mimicking of parts of the virus that are targeted by antibodies to neutralise infections.

Through all of these initiatives, the CVR is contributing to the World Hearth Organizations goal of eliminating Hepatitis C.

Dr Antonio Ho, CVR Clinical Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Infectious Diseases speaks of her involvement in the COSERVO study.

High proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections were asymptomatic, but what limited testing was available were only restricted to those who were symptomatic. COVSERO study was designed to understand the proportion of the population that have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 overtime in urban and rural setting.

Collaboration between the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit and the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. Dr Antonio Ho co-led this with Professor Mia Crampin and Abena Amoah.

Dr Kamilla Toon, Dr Michael Oliver & colleagues use AlphaFold to uncover a potentially novel fusion mechanism in the Hepaci-, Pegi- and Pestiviruses.

'Structures of the Hepaci-, Pegi- and Pestiviruses envelope proteins suggest a novel membrane fusion mechanism' has been published in PLOS Biology.

Read the paper here: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002174

The membrane fusion mechanism for many enveloped viruses is unknown. Using machine learning such as AlphaFold, rather than traditional experimental approaches, allows rapid and accurate prediction of protein structures. The authors discovered that the E1 protein has a conserved and novel structure, suggesting a common and previously unknown fusion mechanism. This work will guide further experiments to understand this mechanism and may also help vaccine design for viruses such as #HepC. 💰

Thank you to our funders - Wellcome Trust, MRC and Royal Society. 📱

Follow our researchers on Twitter: @GroveLab, @KamillaToon, @cb99_lewis, @sdevlinbio, @Paleovirologist

PhD Student, Anna Sims, has uncovered the secret world of Influenza A infections.

By using plaque assays and fluorescent microscopy, Anna's research has revealed during coinfection, different strains of flu in the lungs may form territories which block other viruses from infecting that area, leading to a patchwork affect.

Read the paper here: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001941

Researcher Thomas Ant presents dengue virus research at the CVR, contributing to the award of the Queens Anniversary Prize in 2021 being presented to the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

Almost half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting dengue fever, a viral disease causing around 40,000 death per year worldwide. Dengue virus is mainly transmitted by the aggressive Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is difficult to control through traditional methods.

The CVR research focused on implementing a new environmentally friendly and effective technique for dengue control. This was done by introducing a natural insect bacteria called Wolbachia into the mosquito populations. Wolbachia rapidly spread and effectively block the transmission of dengue virus. The release program in partnership with the Malaysian government reduced dengue transmission in some areas of urban Kuala-Lumpur as much as 85%.

Dr Joanne Haney finished her PhD and her research was published in Nature Microbiology in October 2022. Read the paper here: Coinfection by influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus produces hybrid virus particles | Nature Microbiology

Watch Jo discuss this research which involved coinfection of human lung cells with Influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus. By using lots of imaging techniques, she could see how the viruses interacted and the consequences this came with.

The study revealed the existence of hybrid virus particles, containing structural and genome components from both viruses. These result in functional consequences and altered biological properties.