Bright-field microscopy of intestinal organoids from Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

Laboratory for Virus-Host Co-Evolution

Zoonotic viruses are often highly adapted to their natural reservoir hosts, which exhibit remarkable resilience to viral diseases. This resilience is the result of millennia of coevolution between virus and host. However, when such pathogens spill over into non-adapted species, including humans, they can trigger severe disease outbreaks. At the Laboratory for Virus-Host Co-Evolution (VICO), we study these dynamic interactions to uncover the genetic foundations of evolutionarily acquired resilience to viral disease.

Dr Max Kellner

Head

Dr Max Kellner
Research Group Leader

Our research

Logo of the junior research group VICO

Viruses depend on host organisms to complete their life cycle and persist as biological entities. Over the course of evolution, many have adapted to specific animal species, maintaining long-term associations with these so-called natural reservoir hosts. When zoonotic viruses cross species barriers and infect non-adapted hosts such as humans, they can cause severe disease and trigger global health crises. Throughout history, such spillover events have repeatedly led to epidemics and pandemics, such as the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite extensive research into viral adaptation strategies, the mechanisms underlying viral disease resilience in natural hosts remain poorly understood—partly because they have evolved over millions of years of coexistence with viruses. This raises several fundamental research questions:

  • How do natural hosts tolerate infections that cause severe disease in other species?
  • What makes a virus pathogenic in non-adapted hosts?
  • Can naturally evolved resilience mechanisms in reservoir hosts be translated into therapeutic strategies to prevent or mitigate viral diseases in animals and humans?
Immunofluorescence staining of intestinal organoids from Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)
Immunofluorescence staining of intestinal organoids from Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

At the Laboratory for Virus-Host Co-Evolution (VICO), we investigate these questions by examining the molecular interplay between viruses and their hosts. Our research focuses on evolutionarily ancient mammalian species that harbor human-pathogenic viruses yet remain asymptomatic upon infection. These include bats, rodents, insectivores, certain livestock species, and non-human primates.

To model these interactions, we integrate organoid technology with functional genomics approaches such as CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and single-cell transcriptomics to investigate how genetic differences between host species shape cellular responses to viral infection. 

Through this approach, we aim to advance the understanding of virus-host co-adaptation and pave the way for the development of innovative antiviral strategies, guided by a One Health perspective that considers the interconnected health of humans, animals, and ecosystems.