Leading the way in virology research: Professor Massimo Palmarini

Issued: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:34:00 BST

The creation of the Medical Research Council – University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) has placed Glasgow at the cutting edge of international virology research. The CVR represents the UK’s largest grouping of human and veterinary virologists.

Virology has been a major research strength of the University since the discovery of the feline leukaemia virus in 1964. In 2010, the Medical Research Council and University formed a unique partnership to invest over £30m in virology research in Glasgow. The Wellcome Trust and Wolfson Foundation have also committed £4.8m for a dedicated laboratory of comparative and veterinary virology.

As many of the emerging threats to human health come from viruses that can jump from animals to humans, an important feature of the CVR is the integration of human and animal virus research. Research at the CVR covers a wide breadth of expertise ranging from molecular virology to in vivo pathogenesis, virus-cell interactions, viral immunology, viral ecology, viral oncology, clinical and veterinary virology, viral diagnostics, virus epidemiology, mathematical modelling and bioinformatics. Researchers apply this expertise to tackle questions about viruses at all levels, from the fine details of virus structure, to the emergence and spread of new viruses in both human and animal populations.

The centre is headed by world-leading veterinary virologist Professor Massimo Palmarini. ‘My laboratory studies the biology and pathogenesis of animal viruses,’ he explains. ‘Currently we are focusing on bluetongue, one of the major infectious diseases of livestock, and Schmallenberg virus, a new animal virus identified in 2011. Bluetongue disease is caused by bluetongue virus (BTV), which is transmitted by biting midges. It seems likely that this is also the route of transmission of Schmallenberg virus. Outbreaks of these diseases can have a major economic and societal impact. The recent BTV outbreak in central and northern Europe resulted in the death of more than 2,000,000 animals and caused extensive damage to the European economy.’

One of the aims of Professor Palmarini’s laboratory is to better understand why these viruses can be deadly and discover the main factors that control the outcome of virus infection. A key difficulty, he explains, is that the symptoms of infection vary widely between infected animals, ranging from completely asymptomatic to fatal. ‘By better understanding the determinants of virulence, we may be able to design control strategies that “fit” the risks posed by a specific outbreak and the circumstances surrounding it,’ Professor Palmarini says.