Presentation of the team
The EVIR team currently comprises 3 entities: the Hepatotropic & Emerging Agents Lab, the Lab of Gene & Cell Therapy and the StruVir research group, which are shortly described below.
Viruses are biological entities that rely on manipulating host cellular components and defense mechanisms to replicate and spread. This manipulation, that occurs both within individual cells and across populations of cells, is studied by HEAL, the Hepatotropic & Emerging Agents Lab. The research of HEAL focuses on the interactions between hepatotropic viruses, such as Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis D Virus (HDV), SARS-CoV-2 and the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), a BSL-4 agent, and other members of the orthonairovirus genus like the Hazara Virus (HAZV), with their hosts. We investigate the intricate molecular interactions of these viral infections within host cells and the modifications they induce by employing state of the art structural, cellular and molecular biology tools as well as human liver mouse models (HuHep). By leveraging these insights, we also aim at understanding the broader implications for infected individuals and populations through cohort studies.
Additionally, the Lab of Gene & Cell Therapy develops groundbreaking technologies in gene delivery, particularly targeting immune cells. These advancements have allowed to initiate several projects in experimental medicine, which we explore in pre-clinical models of gene therapy and immunotherapy. To translate this research into clinical applications, we are launching another start-up company focused on developing our small synthetic genetic circuit (SSGC) technology that enables reprogramming of immune cells to combat cancers and chronic diseases.
Finally, we host the StruVir (Structural Virology) research group, headed by Christiane Riedel, that aims at dissecting processes during the viral replication cycle employing functional, dynamic and structural analysis of important animal pathogens (Arteriviruses, Pestiviruses, Lyssaviruses). More about StruVir.
All members of the team are hosted at ENS Lyon in two floors that provide office space, laboratory space for molecular biology and tissue culture (BSL1 and BSL2 levels), and technical rooms. The members also have immediate access to the large BSL3 of ENS Lyon for experiments with live viruses, including real time confocal microscopy, and to several facilities such as the BSL4 on the CIRI site itself and such as level 3 animal facility (A3), imaging and cytometry facilities and genetic analysis facility that are run and developed by SFR Biosciences.