Molecular and cellular of influenza signature, vaccine and antivirals

The recent emergence of a new influenza (A/H1N1) variant in 2009 has confirmed the constant yet unpredictable pandemic risk we face. Limitations of current prevention and treatment options (delays in vaccine production as well as antiviral resistance) highlight the need to develop new alternative and/or complementary therapeutic approaches. However, current knowledge gaps on the basic cell biology of influenza viruses set back the availability of such alternatives in a short-term future.

Indeed, even though the nuclear nature of the replicative cycle of influenza viruses has been described long ago many questions concerning (i) the cell sites and regulation of viral replication and transcription, as well as (ii) the mechanisms of genetic reassortment and packaging of genomic vRNA segments remain unanswered.

In that context, our research activity focuses on two major axes: