The Cell Biology of Viral Infection Research Lab is part of two institutions: the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) governed by the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian and at the Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR) part of the Católica Medical School from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
The main interest of the Cell Biology of Viral Infection Laboratory is to understand viral-host interactions at the cell biology level using an integrative approach combining in vitro, ex-vivo, and in vivo model systems of infection to provide not only mechanistic insight but also to validate their physiological relevance at the level of the organism.
In particular, we aim to understand the interplay of viruses and cells at each step of the replication cycle, identify key host factors and pathways essential for viral replication, as well as virulence factors impacting the disease of evolving viruses. We use mainly influenza A virus as viral model, comprehending how generalized our findings are for infection using many circulating viral strains and also influenza B virus.
Our most recent line of research, merges virology and soft matter science, exploring concepts of liquid-liquid phase separation in viral infection. We have two overarching goals, one to explain how influenza epidemic and pandemic segmented genomes assemble; and the other goal is to dissect how viral infection uses and/or changes cellular biomolecular condensates, including those arising in response to infection and stress.
Since SARS-CoV-2 pandemics, we developed alternative methods of identifying SARS-CoV-2 infected people, especially in children, and understanding how viral SARS-CoV-2 variants escape neutralizing antibodies upon natural infection and vaccination. In sum, our laboratory has been unique in providing key insights on viral replication and how viral infection impacts the immune response and physiology of the infected organism.