Virology research

The main research focus of the Virology group has been the mechanistic description of the cytostatic property of the parvoviral protein NS1, paving the way in the emerging field of viral interference with the cell cycle. We have also pioneered the study of envelope assembly of Hepatitis C and of Yellow Fever viruses and of the complex entry process of Hepatitis C virus. More recently at the UCDR, we unveiled the mechanism of coxsackievirus induced β-cell death, the powerful antiviral response of pancreatic α cells to viral infection and the key role played by IFN- α in the early steps of type 1 diabetes. At the EPIV, we are studying the mechanisms leading to the reactivation of polyomavirus BK in transplanted patient, the immune response against SARS-CoV2 and the poliomyelitis virus.

Dr Anne Op de beeck is an experienced virologist specialized in host-pathogen interactions. She has been studying various viral models focusing on molecular aspect of viral cytopathogenicity and fitness. She is a professor at the ULB and is heading the virology group of the EPIV.