As in the first funding period, the Technical University of Braunschweig and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) will share the scientific leadership of the research network. The spokespersons are Prof. Melanie Brinkmann from the TU Braunschweig, who also heads the research group “Virology and Innate Immunity” at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and Prof. Nicole Fischer from the UKE.
The aim of the research network is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which DNA viruses control gene activity and immune responses in their host cells, both in acute and chronic infections. In the long term, the findings should enable new approaches to combating viral diseases.
“We are delighted to receive this renewed funding,” said Brinkmann and Fischer. “It will enable us to systematically investigate the complex interactions between DNA viruses and human cells.”
DNA viruses are viruses whose genetic material consists of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) – in contrast to RNA viruses such as coronaviruses. DNA viruses can cause acute or chronic infections in humans. The most prominent examples include herpes viruses, adenoviruses, and polyomaviruses.
Why is research into DNA viruses so important?
After the initial infection, DNA viruses often remain in the body permanently – a condition known as persistence. These chronic infections can have serious health consequences years later, such as neurological diseases and cancer. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) causes cervical cancer, the Merkel cell polyomavirus causes an aggressive form of skin cancer, while the Epstein-Barr virus and the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus play a role in the development of several types of cancer. Some herpes viruses are associated with neurological diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis.
