The Virus Biotechnology Platform (VBP) has been created within the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology with the aim of providing integral biotechnological solutions to health challenges caused by human and animal viruses. The research teams integrated in the platform have been developing a wide variety of biotechnological tools suitable for the study of basic aspects of viral replication and virus-host interactions. These studies are the basis of the development of vaccine candidates as well as biotechnological tools for antiviral compound discovery and characterization of their mode of action, antiviral spectrum and resistance profiles.
VBP includes highly specialized professionals in the field of molecular virology, virus biotechnology and virus structural biology who share a strong focus on providing multidisciplinary solutions for health challenges caused by both well-characterized and emerging viral infections. The mission of the VBP is to make these technologies available to collaborators within the international academic research community as well as to industry having interest in creating new virus-based biotechnological tools as well as in characterizing molecules with antiviral potential.
Technology Offered By The VBP:
- Recombinant viral protein production and purification, used for structural studies as well as immunogens in vaccine development.
- Recombinant infectious virus production and mutant virus characterization.
- Cell-based antiviral compound library screening systems using fully infectious BSL2 and BSL3-level viruses.
- Cell-based antiviral compound library screening systems using reporter virus minigenomes.
- Antibody neutralization studies.
- Viral vectors for immunogen overexpression.
- Attenuated recombinant viruses as vaccine candidates.
- Modified cell lines for the study of virus-host interactions.
- Immunological assays for the study of host responses to virus infection.
In addition, the platform collaborates with core facilities at the CNB to provide additional resources in the study of viruses, antivirals and vaccines:
- Integral transcriptomic and proteomic solutions for the characterization of virus-induced alterations of host cell homeostasis.
- Structural studies by X-ray diffraction, cryo-electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.
- Advanced confocal microscopy and live microscopy studies (microscope pending).
- Generation of monoclonal antibodies for the study of viruses.
CNB provides the Virus Biotechnology Platform with state-of-the-art facilities including BSL2 and BSL3 facilities that enable studies on highly pathogenic viruses:
Fernando Almazán. |
|
Mariano Esteban. |
|
Urtzi Garaigorta. |
|
Hepatitis C and related viruses Pablo Gastaminza.
|
|
Influenza and other respiratory viruses Marta L. DeDiego. |
|
Amelia Nieto. |
|
Infectious Bursitis Disease Virus Francisco Rodríguez.
|
|
Dolores Rodríguez. |
|
|
Biosafety Officer Fernando Usera |
|