Introduction
Viruses cause diseases that are major threats to the health and wellbeing of humans and animals across the globe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies lower respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal diseases, many of which are caused by virus infections such as influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses (respiratory), or rotaviruses and noroviruses (gastrointestinal), among the top ten most common causes of mortality worldwide. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is also still a major global health concern despite the availability of effective antiviral drugs. Viruses with the potential to cause significant mortality and morbidity continue to emerge including Ebolaviruses, MERS virus and Zikavirus. Furthermore, viruses are a leading cause of cancer, including papillomaviruses, Hepatitis B virus and the herpesviruses Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi-Sarcoma herpesvirus. On the plus side, research on virus-host interactions has provided, and will continue to provide, valuable insights into normal cellular physiology and the immune system. To meet the global health challenges posed by virus infections, it is vital to continually increase our understanding of how viruses infect and replicate within hosts, cause disease and evolve.
The Course
The course aims to develop an understanding of the ongoing threat to individuals and populations posed by virus infection through a comprehensive and up-to-date presentation of virology. The course covers many details of the molecular biology of different types of viruses (organisation and expression of genetic information, mechanisms of entry and exit, principles of virus structure). The consequences of virus infection are considered at the level of the individual cell (cytopathic effects, cell transformation) and in the multicellular host (immune responses, mechanisms of pathogenesis, latent and persistent infections, tumour induction). These principles are illustrated with reference to the major virus diseases of humans and animals. Epidemiological aspects of virus infection (routes of transmission, antigenic variation) and approaches to the control of virus disease (vaccination, chemotherapy, public health measures) are also covered.
Research Projects
Staff and students in the Virology Division of the Pathology Department pursue a wide range of research interests on many different viruses and their interactions with hosts. We also have extensive contacts with virologists in the Department of Medicine and Department of Veterinary Medicine and research projects may be offered in these. The majority of projects are located in laboratories on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus on the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site.
Recent Projects
- Rational improvement of single-chain antibodies to prevent Oropouche virus infection
- HIV driven inflammation in the central nervous system during antiviral therapy
- Investigating a novel HSV-1 complex that antagonises antiviral responses in the nucleus
- The role of APOBEC3F and APOBEC3G proteins in cells infected with Zika virus
- Structure and cellular function of domesticated retrovirus proteins
Recent Dissertations
- How are non-enveloped viruses released without cell lysis?
- How do certain viruses breach the blood-brain barrier?
- Climate change and emergence of arboviruses in Europe.
- Viral evolution due to immune selection.
- Oncolytic virus therapy.