Project description
Research uncovers how tick-borne encephalitis virus spreads through contaminated food
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a serious disease with a high mortality rate. Although transmission is primarily associated with tick bites, about 1 % of cases stem from ingesting contaminated raw dairy products – a route called alimentary transmission. Despite its growing incidence, little is known about how the virus crosses the intestinal epithelial barrier and spreads to secondary tissues. The EU-funded TASTE project aims to elucidate both extra and intracellular molecular interactions and examine these factors in a cellular and tissue context. Using sophisticated methods, researchers will identify the receptors and factors that allow the virus to bind, enter and replicate in cells. The proposed research will help improve understanding of TBEV infections and provide a foundation for developing treatments.
Objective
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) has an estimated mortality rate of up to 40%, and although transmission is primarily associated with tick bites, a secondary route is that of alimentary transmission. Alimentary transmission occurs through the ingestion of contaminated ‘raw’ dairy products. Since its discovery in the early 1950’s the incidence of TBEV due to this infection method has continuously increased, currently accounting for ~1% of all TBEV cases. Despite this, the alimentary route of infection is severely understudied, and there are no defined mechanisms by which TBEV breaches the intestinal epithelial barrier and disseminates to secondary tissues. To address this gap in knowledge, the TASTE (Targeting Alimentary Systems in TBEV Experimentation) project aims to elucidate the key molecular interactions (both extra- and intracellular) and examine these factors in a cellular and tissue context to establish a model for TBEV alimentary infection. A novel crosslinking immunoprecipitation pipeline will be developed, utilising the incorporation of photosensitive unnatural amino acids into the TBEV genome, to identify the host receptors responsible for virus binding and internalisation. RNA interactome capture and immunoprecipitation will be used to isolate the intracellular factors responsible for viral replication. Following this, the importance of these components and the influence of additional environmental factors will be examined in both cell culture and tissue models. The output of this project will not only be informative to the mechanisms of alimentary infection but will serve as a foundation for future research into therapeutics and patient treatment. I chose to pursue this project within the Ruzek lab at MUNI, as this lab excels in TBEV research and has all the resources necessary to achieve this work. By adding my expertise in molecular virology, we aim to develop novel angles in TBEV research from which future projects can be developed.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology demography mortality
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- agricultural sciences animal and dairy science dairy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2024-TALENTS-02
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
601 77 Brno
Czechia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.