Molecular and cellular signature of respiratory viruses, innovative antivirals and vaccines

Respiratory viruses have considerable potential to spread rapidly across the globe, dictating an urgent need for accurate surveillance associated to rapid and adapted response strategies for effective control. In this context, we propose an integrative approach aiming at providing tools for a thorough analysis and characterization of influenza viruses, pneumoviruses and coronaviruses, and to provide new strategies for disease management and infection control.

For that purpose, our team is focused on functional interplays between viruses cells and host cells. In a more translational point of view, we are also involved in the discovery and evaluation of new means of fighting against respiratory virus infection including (i) innovative antiviral agents targeting the virus or repurposing approved drugs targeting the host and (ii) new vaccine strategies. For these purposes, our group has implemented technical skills and knowledge including reverse genetics of influenza viruses, transcriptomic approaches on clinical specimens, NGS technologies for full genome sequencing of circulating influenza and industrial processes of vaccine antigens production and assessment. This integrated research approach is now extended for other respiratory viruses with significant clinical impact, such as Respiratory Syncytial Viruses (hRSV) and human Metapneumoviruses, coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, for which there is no specific and efficient FDA-approved prophylactic of therapeutic treatment. To achieve our objectives and investigations, we maintain strong connections between our academic research and the NIC hosted by the clinical lab, our research technology platform VirNext, our recently funded Start-up (Signia Therapeutics and Vaxxel), Lyonbiopole (Worldwide competitiveness cluster), the other research teams in the CIRI involved in the respiratory infection transversal projects, and our national and international collaborating research teams and industries.