Molecular flavivirus research

Infections by tick- and mosquito- borne Flavivirus is a gigantic global health problem causing several serious diseases like Dengue fever, West Nile encephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) . Much of our research focuses on the flaviviral NS5 protein, a key molecule for the replication process. By mapping and identifying interactions between viral proteins and the host cell, we aim to find suitable targets for the development of antiviral drugs for the future treatment of TBE and other flaviviral diseases.

To study viral replication, we have constructed several replicon models for different flaviviruses. These models are used to develop a therapeutic vaccine against chronic hepatitis in collaboration with the company Chorntec Pharma AB Professor Matti Sällberg research group at Karolinska Institutet. By using reverse genetics technology we have er developed a method to generate mutated TBE viruses which is an important tool for further characterization of TBE in vivo. In cooperation with Åke Strid and Sören Andersson , we also produce edible TBE vaccine candidates by plant expression.

In order to understand the spread and increased establishment of TBE in Scandinavia , we are further studying the epidemiology of TBE in Sweden by sequencing the genomes of viruses that we detect in collected ticks.