Design of new strategies for vaccine and drug development, as well as evaluation
of novel modes of therapy, are among the main research avenues at IIBR. Towards
this end, IIBR is investigating viral and bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms, along
with host response to infection by pathogens.
The R&D approach consists of classical microbiological methodologies, combined with
a vast array of molecular biology procedures, tissue culture and cytotoxic assays,
immunological tests and in-vivo analyses, including:
- Development of pathogen-specific ex-vitro infection models.
- Evaluation of disease propagation in animal models (using different species and
varying genetic background) for the assessment of new strategies for protection
and therapy.
- Evaluation of humoral and cellular immune responses to infection.
- Identification and functional analysis of virulence factors in vitro and in vivo.
- Development of attenuated pathogen strains, using powerful genetic methods for random
mutagenesis and in-vivo selection (STM), or targeted mutagenesis of genes selected
by global pathogenomic methods.
- Identification of serological bio-markers for disease and their application in diagnosis
and rapid assessment of disease severity.
- Deciphering host-pathogen interactions with emphasis on the interplay between pathogen
and cells involved in innate or acquired immunity (Dendritic cells, macrophage,
T-cells and blood-brain barrier penetration). Analyses include dissection at the
molecular level, of extra and intra-cellular signaling pathways.
- Generation of infectious RNA libraries for assessment of viral recombinant products,
infectivity and immunoneutralization potencies in cells.
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