Invitation poster, in Slovene, to attend VIGILANT talks on Friday 17th April

Invitation poster to attend VIGILANT talks on Friday 17th April, in English

Just over three weeks until our annual meeting, with talks by renowned experts open to the public.
The talks will be available in person and online on the day. Virologists in Ljubljana, be sure to drop by!
We are looking forward to sharing our knowledge with you!

VIGILANT Annual Meeting invitation poster for Friday, 17th April, 2026, hosted at the large lecture hall Velika predavalnica Instututa "Jozef Stefan". Morning session from 9:10am with Prof. Dr. Jan Muench and Prof. Klaudia Brix. Afternoon session from 12:45pm with Prof. Kartik Chandran and Dr. Andrea Marzi.

VIGILANT will be holding its 2026 Annual Meeting in Ljubljana in April. Our keynote speeches are open to the public across two sessions on the Friday. We are looking forward to seeing members virology community in Slovenia in full force!

Structural insights into the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complexes from highly pathogenic Marburg and Ebola viruses Nature Communications - The Ebola and Marburg viruses use polymerase complexes to replicate and transcribe their genome. Here, the authors present cryo-EM structures of the polymerase complexes of...

Structural insights into the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complexes from highly pathogenic Marburg and Ebola viruses

rdcu.be/e7RMY

Structural basis of Nipah virus RNA synthesis Nature Communications - Sala et al. report the first structural snapshot of the Nipah virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in the actively elongating state, uncovering key mechanisms of RNA synthesis...

Structural basis of Nipah virus RNA synthesis

rdcu.be/e7RLC

A much-needed vaccine for Nipah virus A phase 1 trial suggests safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of a candidate subunit vaccine against the deadly Nipah virus, for which countermeasures are urgently needed.

A much-needed vaccine for Nipah virus www.nature.com/articles/d41...

By focusing on shared mechanisms of viral protein expression and activation, VIGILANT aims to create broad-spectrum antivirals that are ready before the next outbreak hits.

Preparedness saves lives.

What is Nipah virus? Key things to know about the disease amid cases in India Highly contagious virus, which spreads from animals to humans, has a high fatality rate and there is no vaccine

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

The recent Nipah virus outbreak is a stark reminder of how quickly zoonotic viruses can emerge & spread.

VIGILANT is tackling this threat head-on by developing medical compounds that target host cell pathways hijacked by Nipah and related viruses. ...

What is Nipah virus? Key things to know about the disease amid cases in India Highly contagious virus, which spreads from animals to humans, has a high fatality rate and there is no vaccine

What is Nipah virus? Key things to know about the disease amid cases in India

... for example in diseases where loss of cell viability is contributing to progression of specific diseases. Such approaches could be particularly valuable in neurological conditions where protein misfolding leads to neuronal cell death.

Q6 - What do you hope to achieve next? We are currently working on new small molecule approaches that aim to activate cellular stress responses with cell-protective effects. This could have various specific benefits, ...

... This knowledge can inform CRISPR technology or inhibitors against “undruggable” protein targets.

Q5 - What’s something people often misunderstand about your field? Why gaining deep understanding of cellular biochemistry can enable new discoveries with profound implications.

Q4 - How could your research help people or the planet? Deep understanding of complex biological processes is critical to enable broad benefits to society, e.g. when designing innovative therapeutic strategies or for biotechnology. ...

... Such inhibitors are currently being pursued by two biotechnology companies and first lead molecule is currently being tested in clinical trials for ultimate treatment of solid tumours in different cancer types.

Q3 - What’s a discovery or project you’re especially proud of? Our long-term work on inhibitors of protein secretion that act in an unexpected client-selective manner, including first structural characterisation & collaboration of medicinal chemists to optimise the compounds. ...

Q2 - What excites you most about your work? The ability to understand at a deep level the mechanisms that enable cells to orchestrate their complex biochemistries and the impact this can have for being able to modulate biology for biotechnology and drug discovery.

... Our work aims to uncover new disease-related mechanisms and small molecules that can serve as starting points for drug discovery in areas such as cancer, immunology and antiviral development.

Q1 - What is your research about, in simple terms?
Our group tries to understand mechanisms of eukaryotic protein biogenesis, especially machineries within the early secretory pathway that are required for biosynthesis and folding of secreted and membrane proteins. ...

MEET THE VIGILANT TEAM
We are interviewing Project VIGILANT staff to introduce them to you!
Ville Paavilainen
Research Director - Chemical Biology & Proteostasis Research Group, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki - www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/proteostasis-and-chemical-biology

The Real Subtypes of the 2025 Flu Season Have you ever been to a party where you sensed the messiness before it happened?

I've got a bad feeling about the upcoming flu season, given the fact that there are a bunch of subtypes at this party with the potential to wreak varying amounts of havoc. So I broke it all down here.
open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...

A Mammarenavirus Close to Lassa Virus in a Patient with Meningoencephalitis | NEJM A 37-year-old man in Chad presented with a fever and a headache. An extensive evaluation identified a mammarenavirus, close to Lassa virus, in samples of cerebrospinal fluid.

This is an interesting case of a patient from Chad infected with a novel arenavirus species/variant/strain, presenting with meningoencephalitis.

IMO, could be classified as a highly divergent Lassa virus strain in a new country (similar to what Togo has observed).

www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...

Ethiopia confirms its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak in the South Ethiopia region. Rapid response activated - hoping for swift containment.

Marburg has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. Broad-spectrum antivirals are a critical unmet need to save lives and stop outbreaks faster.

Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2025 The Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list identifies and celebrates individuals who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research. Through rigorous selection criteria and ...

Proud that Markus Hoffmann and I made the 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list.
Huge thanks to everyone in the Infection Biology Unit at the German Primate Center - honoured and grateful. @primatenzentrum.bsky.social

clarivate.com/highly-cited...

Thank you for hosting this excellent symposium!

Structural basis of herpesvirus helicase-primase inhibition by pritelivir and amenamevir Structural studies of HSV-1 helicase-primase revealed how pritelivir and amenamevir bind and block its helicase activity.

New work from Tahirov x Lim collaboration! @qixianghe.bsky.social from my lab contributed the cryo-EM structures for this work. We are excited to help explain how anti-HSV drugs work and to guide their future development.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@unmc.bsky.social @uwbiochem.bsky.social

🔬🌍 On #WorldScienceDay, we focus on trust, transformation, and the science we need for 2050.

Transparency builds trust, open and collaborative research drives change, and safeguarding academic freedom shapes tomorrow.

Let’s reflect on the science we choose to build.
#ScienceFor2050

Exciting advancements in research for pandemic preparedness from EU-funded consortia, with substantial opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
#HorizonEurope

...lucky to have recruited many excellent people who share my passion for alphavirus-host interactions.

Q5 - What’s something people often misunderstand about your field?
I won’t soon forget when someone asked me if domestic poultry are a reservoir for “Chicken Gunya virus”.

Q4 - Who or what has most influenced your scientific journey?
Certainly, I've had very many wise mentors during my career, but the wonderful people who have most influenced my scientific journey are the students and postdocs that have worked in my lab over the years. I've been...

... With climate change, we can expect more outbreaks of this ‘tropical’ disease in other parts of the world, exemplified by the current chikungunya outbreak in Southern France.

Q3 - How could your research help people?
Chikungunya is a significant challenge for global health and is mostly found in low- and middle-income countries. More vaccines and antiviral drugs are desperately needed. ...