Research on antiviral Therapies and Vaccines
Viruses can be targets as well as tools for novel therapies. Many viral infections cannot be treated effectively and novel therapies are urgently needed. On the other hand, viruses can be used as gene transfer vectors to introduce therapeutic genes into patient cells to treat a broad range of inborn and acquired diseases. Finally, cytotoxic viruses that preferentially replicate in tumor cells, so-called oncolytic viruses, can be adopted for the treatment of cancer. The research groups in the Division of Virology are working in all three fields: gene therapy with viral vectors, oncolytic virus therapy and antiviral therapy.
In addition, virologists world-wide face one great, unresolved challenge: the development of an AIDS vaccine. As well-trodden paths did not result in the development of an effective approach, we are following novel lines of research. In the groups of H. Stoiber and D. Wilflingseder, effector mechanisms of the innate immune system are exploited to induce a more potent vaccine response, while the group of D. von Laer is arming recombinant RNA viruses with HIV proteins to generate potent life virus vector vaccines.Opening hours office (Ms. Brunner):
Mo-Do 07:30 - 16:00, Fr 07:30 - 13:30