Our studies aim to decipher the immunopathogenesis of the viral infection, particularly how a virus and the innate immune system interfere with each other. We focus on emerging highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses belonging to the Henipavirus genus and Paramyxovirus family: Nipah and Hendra. Our studies also benefit from useful and comparative information from measles virus infection model: both henipavirus and morbillivirus genus share common genome organization and replication machinery. Specific attention is put on the analysis of the innate immune response in species capable to efficiently control Henipavirus infection, including mice and fruit bats. Role of different immune cell types, especially macrophages, and virus ability to induce inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo in animal models and virus propagation in the brain tissue is also addressed. Application of two model viruses, Nipah and measles, both of them associated with the induction of neuropathology in humans, provides an important comparative research platform for the analysis of different aspects of viral pathogenesis and new anti-viral treatments. Consequently, we are also working on the development of fusion inhibitory peptides to block viral entry and consecutive infection. Our projects combine approaches starting from the molecular level studies of virus-cell interaction, via cellular analysis up to the more integrative analysis of viral pathogenesis in the animal models. These studies may reveal the particular properties of virus interaction with the innate immune response, reflecting common and/or different features for analyzed viruses and open new avenues to better understanding of viral pathogenesis and develop novel therapeutic approaches.

Key words: Virology, Immunology, Emergent infections, Nipah, Measles, Innate immunity