The majority of the existing antiviral therapeutics are essentially directed at specific viruses or viral strains, being prone to resistance upon mutation and not applicable to emerging viral hazards. It is, hence, essential to develop novel broad-spectrum antiviral strategies, which may be discovered by investigating common mechanisms shared by different viruses, e.g. as part of their life cycle or interaction with their host cells.
The Virus-Host Cell Interactions Laboratory explores different but complementary research lines related to the virus-host interplay, with the main aim to unravel novel cellular mechanisms that can be used as targets for the development ofinnovative host-directed broad-spectrum antiviral therapeutics.
Four main research lines are being currently explored, in collaboration with an extensive national and international network of experts:
A – Unravelling the role of peroxisomes in antiviral signalling and viral propagation
B – Exploring the interplay between different viruses and the host-cell proteostasis
C – Exploring the impact of tRNA modifications and translation control for pathogenicity and host responses upon infection by different viruses
D – Exploring the potential of protein phosphatase 1 as a target for drug treatment against viral infections
In order to investigate the abovementioned processes, we combine mammalian cell biology, virology and biochemistry methodologies, associated with state-of-the-art microscopy techniques.
Ongoing financed projects
The interplay between viruses and peroxisomes: uncovering new targets for antiviral therapy
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
Viruses and Epitranscriptomes: seeking novel targets for antiviral therapy
EC- H2020
Funding Acknowledgments
