About us
The Virology group project conducts basic research to understand the functional meanings of interactions between viral and cellular structures during viral infection, the mechanisms of stress-related and defensive reactions of cells, and the mechanisms of deregulation of cellular processes including oncogenic transformation.
Simultaneously, results of the research are reflected in the exploitation of artificial viral nanostructures for developing of vaccines, diagnostic kits and vehicles for transporting therapeutic compounds into cells.
Research has been focused on:
- examining the transport of viral structures inside a cell, the mechanisms of transporting virus genomes into the cell nucleus and the roles of single structural viral components, cytoskeletal and endosomal cellular structures in this process
- revealing the interations between of virus proteins with host cell partners
- clarifying the mechanisms of innate cellular protection and antiviral defense
Apart from polyomavirus models (mouse polyomavirus, human BK virus), the subject of the study also includes other small DNA viruses (e. g., Hepatitis B virus, Circoviruses).
Application research has been performed in collaboration with:
- Vidia spol s r. o. (A prototype of diagnostic kit for human JCV polyomavirus was prepared and a diagnostic kit for BKV polyomavirus subtypes is now under development)
- Dyntec spol s r. o. (At present, veterinary prophylactic vaccines against porcine circovirus 2 and bovinne papillomavirus, based on recombinant polyomavirus nanostructures, are being developed).
Potential for Cooperation:
The virology team has worked closely with two companies and several foreign laboratories (e. g. Prof. Cheng, The University of California in Davis, USA) and is open for futher collaboration in both basic and applied research.
