What is a summary of your research?

My group is interested in the biology and immunology of herpesviruses. In total, eight different herpes viruses are able to infect humans. Without knowing it, most of us are infected with at least four of them. My group is mainly working on cytomegalovirus, an important pathogen in immunocompromised patients, and herpes simplex virus 1. In the case of cytomegalovirus, we are predominantly working with its mouse model, namely the mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV). This allows us to study immune control and immune evasion of cytomegalovirus infections, with a particular focus on virally encoded microRNAs.

What are herpesviruses?

Herpesviruses are a family of DNA viruses which can cause diseases ranging from cold sores to cancer. They are not only found in humans and other vertebrates, but can also infect invertebrates such as oysters. They all share one key feature: after primary infection, they remain within their host in so called “latent” form, expressing only a hand full of viral genes, if any at all. Upon certain stimuli, such as stress or immunosupression, they can reactivate, replicate and cause disease.

Herpesviruses are important pathogens in transplantation medicine. Prior to the development of the first antiviral drugs, cytomegalovirus infections were taking a heavy toll on patients undergoing organ or stem cell transplantation. In some settings, more than 50% of patients experienced serious infections.

What are microRNAs and why are you studying them?

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA molecules which regulate our gene expression, by both translation inhibition and target RNA destabilisation. With more than 1800 miRNAs now identified in the human genome, these small RNAs regulate more than 50% of our genes. 

MicroRNAs can be specifically targeted using modified RNA molecules, termed AntagomiRs. The first AntagomiR-based drug, Miravirsen, has just successfully passed human clinical trial for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.  

About 10 years ago, herpesviruses were first found to encode their own sets of microRNAs. Most herpesvirus-encoded microRNAs are expressed in latently infected cells. We need to understand the functional role and importance of these viral microRNAs, and hope to be able to design new antagomiR-based therapeutic regimens to prevent virus reactivation' or even eliminate the latent virus reservoir.

What are your views on animal research in the UK?

There are two aspects to consider when using animals in research. The first is that you are handling and treating, and potentially mistreating, a living being. The second one is that without animals in research, some crucial work is simply not possible. I don’t think anybody particularly enjoys working with animals in research, and researchers try to avoid animal experiments wherever possible. However, if we had not carried out animal work in the last 50 years, a lot of treatment options would simply not be available to us today. For example, the first heart transplantations were performed in dogs in the 1960s. Nobody would have dared to do the first heart transplant in humans.

In virology, we can’t infect humans and see how their immune system responds to the virus. Instead, work on mice and MCMV has provided us with invaluable knowledge on how our immune system works and has evolved. Without this knowledge, immunology would not be what it is today.