Dr Nicole Robb, Dorothy Hodgkin Royal Society Fellowship
Single-Molecule Fluorescence Studies of Segmented, Negative-Sense RNA Viruses
An RNA virus is a virus that contains RNA (ribonucleic acid) as its genetic material. The RNA virus family includes many important human, animal and plant pathogens.
The diseases caused by these viruses include influenza, Zika, Ebola, rabies, polio and measles, all of which result in a huge number of deaths as well as having severe economic impacts worldwide. In addition to causing seasonal epidemics or localised outbreaks, many of these viruses have pandemic potential, as epitomised by the 2009 Swine flu and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Propagating and spreading to neighbouring cells
During an infection, a virus enters a cell, disassembles into functional components, and harnesses the cellular machinery to produce multiple copies of itself; these new copies then spread to neighbouring cells.
Dr Nicole Robb from Warwick Medical School is undertaking a Dorothy Hodgkin Royal Society Fellowship to study exactly how viruses replicate, which will subsequently help develop new methods for viral detection and diagnosis. Her research uses a combination of traditional virology methods, advanced fluorescence microscopy and biophysical single-molecule techniques to study this process.
Advancing our basic understanding of how viruses replicate will provide new targets for anti-viral drugs.
A virus enters a cell before producing multiple copies of itself, which then spread to neighbouring cells.
Many RNA viruses have pandemic potential, as epitomised by the 2009 Swine flu and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rapid detection of viruses
As well as contributing towards our understanding of RNA virus replication, the Fellowship will also focus on the development of new diagnostic assays for virus detection.
Rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic viruses is crucially important for efficient healthcare interventions.
However, many tests can take significant time, and faster tests often lack sensitivity. The research aims to develop rapid, sensitive and easy-to-use alternatives for diagnostic testing.