Molecular Biology of Pneumovirus

The Molecular Biology of Pneumovirus (BMP) group research focuses on Respiratory Syncytial virus (RSV) Molecular mechanisms of replication. Human RSV (HRSV) is the major cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children. It is one of the major infections for which there is no vaccine or antiviral treatment. Like the HRSV, bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is also the chief viral respiratory pathogen of calves and is responsible for large economic losses in European dairy and beef farming. Although there is still no vaccine available for humans, some vaccines are commercialized for cattle but the efficiency is low. Development of new vaccine approaches and new broad spectrum antivirals is therefore an exciting scientific and economical alternative in both HRSV and BRSV. Understanding the molecular mechanism by which RSV replicates and interacts with the host proteins will potentially lead to discovery of new targets for antivirals.