Virus cross-species transmission: defining the immunological barriers to viral emergence
Virus cross-species transmission: defining the immunological barriers to viral emergence
Humans are constantly exposed to a wide array of animal viruses. Understanding why most of these viruses fail to spillover or subsequently thrive in human populations will be crucial to how we manage viral emergence. This programme aims to define and mechanistically understand diverse immunological barriers to cross-species transmission, based on the hypothesis that the genetic and immunological landscape of each individual or species helps define susceptibility or resistance to virus cross-species transmission.