Millions in funding for DNA virus research group

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the DEEP-DV research group a further four years of funding totalling €5.3 million. This marks the second phase of the interdisciplinary group’s successful work, which includes scientists from Braunschweig, Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Regensburg, Ulm, Freiburg and Munich. DNA viruses, such as herpes viruses and polyomaviruses, can remain in the body permanently after the initial infection, causing serious health consequences years later.

As in the first funding period, Technical University of Braunschweig and the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) will jointly lead the research network. The spokespersons are Prof. Dr Melanie Brinkmann from TU Braunschweig and Prof. Dr Nicole Fischer from UKE.

The research network aims to improve our understanding of how DNA viruses control gene activity and immune responses in host cells during acute and chronic infections. In the long term, these findings should facilitate new methods of combatting viral diseases.

“We are very pleased about the renewed funding,” said Prof. Dr. Brinkmann and Prof. Dr. Fischer. “It will enable us to systematically investigate the complex interactions between DNA viruses and human cells.”

DNA viruses are viruses whose genetic material consists of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), as opposed to RNA viruses such as coronaviruses. DNA viruses can cause acute or chronic infections in humans. The best-known examples include herpes viruses, adenoviruses and polyomaviruses.

Why is research into DNA viruses so important?

Following an initial infection, DNA viruses often remain in the organism permanently – a condition known as persistence. These chronic infections can lead to serious health consequences years later, including neurological diseases and cancer. For instance, human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical cancer, while Merkel cell polyomavirus can cause a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer. The Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus are also associated with the development of various cancers. Some herpesviruses are also associated with neurological diseases, including dementia and multiple sclerosis.