Discovery and in-depth characterization of paramyxoviruses

Paramyxoviruses are an important group of RNA-viruses, including dangerous zoonoses such as Hendra virus and Nipah virus. In recent years, a significant number of new paramyxoviruses have been discovered, elucidating a lack of knowledge concerning this viral family. The main objective of this research proposal is to gain insight into the identity and diversity of paramyxoviruses harbored by wildlife. More specifically, we will target rodents and bats in Europe and Africa. we aim to screen our collection of previously acquired rodent and bat tissue samples for the presence of unknown paramyxoviruses; and we aim to collect a spatially and temporally diverse set of fresh rodent and bat samples from Europe and Africa. We will subject these samples to next-generation sequencing to identify present viruses and we will characterize the properties of these viruses, either through virus rescue using culture- or reverse genetics-based approaches, or via phenotypical assays in collaboration with our international partners.