VirHoX

High-throughput sequencing and metagenomics have significantly increased our knowledge of viruses in nature. Nevertheless, the assignment of viruses to their host organisms remains a major challenge. This is where the VirHoX project comes in, developing a revolutionary method to uncover virus-host associations.

Contact

Dr. Dara Hallinan

Scientific Co-Worker, Intellectual property rights in distributed information infrastructures

Phone:

+49 7247 808 176

dara.hallinan [at] fiz-karlsruhe.de

Project Data

The approach, VirHo-seq, utilizes a crucial moment in the infection cycle of viruses: the translation of viral genes into proteins by the host cell. The ribosomal RNA of the host is linked to the viral mRNA during translation in infected cells. This is done with the help of specially developed enzymes and is then analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. In this way, the hidden pairings between viruses and their hosts can be identified.

The project brings together an interdisciplinary team of experts from microbiology, protein engineering, gene editing, viral genomics and law. In addition to the technical development of VirHo-seq, the project attaches great importance to the legal framework in order to promote the application and commercialization of the technology. FIZ Karlsruhe is contributing its legal expertise to analyze the EU legal aspects and prepare possible adaptations. The identification and analysis of virus-host associations raises not only scientific but also legal questions.

In the EU in particular, the challenge arises as to how such information should be legally classified and treated - whether in the context of data protection law or intellectual property law. It is also necessary to clarify whether the existing legal framework meets the specific requirements of this type of data. As part of the project, we are therefore also investigating these legal issues in order to develop well-founded solutions and recommendations for action.

Project Data

Vollständiger Name: Hacking the ribosome to map virus-host associations