Working Group Lamp

Group leader

Postdocs

Ph.D. students

Visiting scientist

Technical assistant

Project description

The research focus of my group is the investigation of the replication and pathogenicity of the positive strand RNA viruses of domestic and farm animals. Positive strand RNA viruses are responsible for different pathologies, which partly have a great economic importance. The pathogenicity of these viruses results either directly from the replication of the pathogens in the host cells and the resulting damage to the host organism or from the host's immune response against the viruses.

In my group we use flaviviruses, arteriviruses and picornavirus-like pathogens to study how these viruses infect their target cells, multiply their RNA and form new virions. In addition to these questions of basic research, we are also engaged in the further development of diagnostic methods and vaccines for these pathogens of importance to veterinary medicine. In various insect models, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity of RNA viruses. Of particular importance for our research are the viruses of the honeybee (Apis mellifera), which is an important economic factor in agriculture due to its function as pollinator.