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Main axes of research

• Surveillance of new emerging viruses and genotypic variants
• Genetic and antigenic diversity of human and veterinary viruses
• Molecular evolution and pathogenicity of influenza viruses in human, avian and swine
• Immunisation strategies against viruses and environmental risk factors (e.g. carcinogens)
• Gene structure, transcriptional and translational regulations of the glucocorticoid receptor (and other nuclear receptors) and its role as a major stress in response mediator
• Epigenetic perinatal programming of the immune system

Application domains

• To identify new variants of human, veterinary and other zoonotic viruses and to understand their genetic and antigenetic diversity, consequences for surveillance and their virus-host interactions and pathogenicity
• To study public health issues related to infectious diseases in humans, as well as in animals
• To understand transcriptional, translational and posttranslational mechanisms of stress response mediators on the immune system and the interaction between the immune system and the neuroendocrine system
• To understand the role of DNA methylation in perinatal programming of the immune system
• To understand mechanisms of vaccines, the efficacy of existing vaccines and the development of new vaccine strategies

Current research projects

A. Genetic and phenotypic diversity of virus

A.1 Measles

A.2. Other fever rash viruses (Rubella, Parvovirus)

A.3 Hep B

A.4 Human Influenza

A.5 Avian Influenza

A.6 Newcastle Disease virus (NDV)

A.7 Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV)

A.8 Tick-born pathogens

A.9 Norovirus

B. Vaccination strategy against chemical carcinogenesis

C. Neuroendocrine immunology

D. Proteomics

E. Perinatal Programming of the Immune System

Areas of competence

Life Sciences, health and biotechnology

Technology keywords

Biostatistics, Epidemiology - Cellular and Molecular Biology - Cytology, Cancerology, Oncology - Diseases - Microbiology - Toxicology - Virus, Virology/Antibiotics/Bacteriology