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Medical and health sciences
- Applied immunology
- Vaccinology
- Public health sciences not elsewhere classified
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that are widespread in the biosphere. Viruses that replicate in humans can cause serious, sometimes deadly disease. Some animal viruses can also infect humans which, in some cases, can lead to severe disease, death and rapid spread in the population. Examples of such so-called zoonotic infections include infections with the Ebolavirus and SARS coronavirus-2. The latter virus, which likely originates from a bat species, causes COVID-19, which emerged in 2019 and, by now, has killed over 7 million people. My research group aims to develop and use vaccines and antibodies that can protect against a wide variety of related viruses. This research is expected to contribute to pandemic readiness of our society. Influenza and coronaviruses are the prime targets against which we develop broadly protective vaccines and antibodies.