Assistant Professor Marta Bally, Biological Physics, Dept. of Physics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

Probing virus-membrane interactions with artificial cell membranes

Viruses are small pathogenic particle that rely on hijacking a cellular host to multiply and spread. Throughout their life cycle, viruses will therefore on several occasions, come into contact with cellular membranes. Understanding the mechanisms by which virus particles recognize and cross these lipid membranes is of central importance to the development of new antiviral therapies, new drug delivery vectors and new diagnostic tools.

In our work, we take advantage of artificial lipid bilayers to mimic in vitro the basic properties of the cell membrane. Using these minimal models we gain insights into the mechanisms by which viral pathogens interact with the cell’s barriers and cross them.

In my presentation, I will address different aspects of viral entry and egress using examples related to herpes simplex, noro- and influenza viruses. Through those examples I will highlight the potential of artificial cell membrane mimics in the study of processes occurring at the surface of a cell and will show how such biophysical data can complement more classical cell-based studies.  

Host: Associate Professor Brigitte Städler, iNANO and Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University