Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
H2020Doctoral network2020–2024

VIROINF · Understanding (harmful) virus-host interactions by linking virology and bioinformatics

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2020-09-01 → 2024-08-31
EU contribution
€3,896,543
Participants
16
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Understanding (harmful) virus-host interactions by linking virology and bioinformatics

The VIROINF project addressed the critical need for advanced bioinformatics tools in virus research, particularly those that enable real-time application in understanding virus-host interactions. As viral threats evolved, it became increasingly important to have research methodologies that integrated computational and experimental approaches to support proactive and effective responses. The VIROINF consortium was established to meet this challenge by fostering collaboration between theoretical and practical virology, allowing for the rapid translation of bioinformatics developments into virology labs and vice versa. The project’s main scientific objectives included modeling virus-host interactions (WP1) and virus evolution within hosts (WP2), supported by work packages on training (WP3), outreach (WP4), management (WP5), and ethics (WP8). Each WP involved early-stage researchers (ESRs), who presented their progress at multiple project meetings, facilitating ongoing adaptation of project goals based on developments. Despite challenges due to COVID-19, which delayed recruitment and restricted lab access, VIROINF successfully achieved its primary milestones. These included developing tools for virus identification, host prediction, and modeling virus evolution, all of which provided valuable contributions to both academic and applied virology fields. By advancing generalized bioinformatics methods and promoting interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, VIROINF built a stronger foundation for combating viral diseases, offering immediate insights and long-term benefits to society.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Viruses are currently at the forefront of scientific priorities of many national research councils and the EU. Viruses will remain an urgent topic given the continuously growing and aging global population, creating major challenges for health science, technology and society as a whole. Besides their important role as human and animal pathogens, the beneficial, commensal or harmful functions of viruses are poorly understood. Fundamental questions in virology can only be tackled with the help of bioinformatics. However, the required sophisticated bioinformatics tools are not readily available.By developing and applying tailored bioinformatical tools in important virological models, this ITN, called VIROINF, will provide a better understanding of viruses and the interaction with their hosts, with the aim of giving virologists potent new `weapons' to fight against emerging and established viruses. VIROINF will open the door to develop novel strategies to better understand, treat, and control viral diseases, in addition to understanding the broader ecology and evolution of viruses. The key feature of VIROINF is its interdisciplinary nature, which brings together virologists and bioinformaticians to achieve common goals.The research programme will train a badly needed new generation of young scientists with excellent understanding and skills in virology, cell biology and bioinformatics, to the great benefit and advancement of the field. VIROINF is unique by its special triple supervision in two distinct subjects (virology and bioinformatics) from at least two organisations. Our ESRs will be trained at the very forefront of this rapidly developing field, by gaining state-of-the-art insights into both theoretical and empirical science. The ESRs will be in an ideal position to encourage the bioinformatical development of the field in academia, or by implementing their knowledge to solve practical problems in the non-academic sector.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITÄT JENA · JENACoordinatorGermany
  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
  • EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH · ZuerichSwitzerland
  • FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN · BerlinGermany
  • HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MUENCHEN DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUER GESUNDHEIT UND UMWELT GMBH · NeuherbergGermany
  • JULIUS-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAT WURZBURG · WuerzburgGermany
  • KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LeuvenBelgium
  • ROBERT KOCH-INSTITUT · BerlinGermany
  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM · NijmegenNetherlands
  • STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITAT WIEN · WienAustria
  • UNIVERSITAT ZURICH · ZurichSwitzerland
  • UNIVERSITATSMEDIZIN GREIFSWALD KORPERSCHAFT DES OFFENTLICHEN RECHTS · GreifswaldGermany
  • UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT · UtrechtNetherlands
  • UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW · GlasgowUnited Kingdom
  • WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE · RehovotIsrael

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union