The Junior Research Group "Cell Biology of RNA Viruses" headed by Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres will start its work at HPI on June 1, 2020. The group is part of the Leibniz ScienceCampus InterACt.

In the independent HPI Junior Research Groups, young scientists are given the opportunity to address current issues in virology. As of June 1, 2020, Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres will start her group "Cell Biology of RNA Viruses" at the HPI, thus further expanding the spectrum of viruses studied at the institute. The group is an integral part of InterACt (Integrative Analysis of pathogen-induced compartments), a Leibniz ScienceCampus established in Hamburg in 2019 with the overall goal of better understanding the role of compartments in the course of infection.

With her research, Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres aims to better understand the interactions between RNA viruses and their host cell. As part of InterACt, the group is particularly interested in the function of cell compartments used by viruses for their replication cycle.

At the HPI, her research team will particularly focus on hepatitis C virus (HCV): "HCV reorganizes the endoplasmic reticulum, but also maintains complex interactions with the lipid metabolism of the host, especially with the lipid droplets that are hijacked as part of the viral replication niche. We are investigating the molecular machinery of the virus and its host cell that is used to take over these organelles," Dr. Gabrielle Vieyres explains her research approach and is looking forward to her time in Hamburg: "The scientific environment and infrastructure of the HPI and the InterACt ScienceCampus are ideal to successfully advance my research."

"We're very pleased to have Gabrielle Vieyres on board for HPI. This is the first major appointment from the InterACt science campus and a further milestone in the expansion of the network and the strengthening of infection research," says Prof. Thomas Dobner, Scientific Director of the HPI.