Aims

Mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects transmit important viral pathogens. These arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) can cause debilitating disease, including encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever, in some cases in worldwide epidemics. For example, Dengue virus infects 50-100 million people every year worldwide and can cause severe, sometimes fatal hemorrhagic disease. More recently, Zika virus, which is associated with severe birth defects in newborns of infected mothers.
 
Vaccines and antiviral drugs are not available for most arboviruses and the effectiveness of mosquito control is threatened by insecticide resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel arbovirus control measures and antiviral drugs. The Experimental virology research group studies virus-host interactions in both mosquito vector and mammalian host. By doing so, we hope to gain insights into arbovirus transmission and contribute to the development of novel antiviral therapy.
 
Specific research interests are:

  • small RNA-based antiviral defence
  • the identification and characterization of novel antiviral mechanisms
  • the identification of novel antiviral compounds
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Research Research groups Rij - Experimental virology

About this research group

Our research group studies virus-host interactions in both mosquito vector and mammalian host. By doing so, we hope to gain insights into arbovirus transmission and contribute to the development of novel antiviral therapy.

Research group leader

prof. dr. Ronald van Rij

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Aims

This group has several aims. read more

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