Viruses not only cause some of the worst human diseases, they do the same in plants and animals. That makes them major threats not only to human life but to agriculture and our food supply. At the same time, the stealthy way viruses interact with their hosts makes them ideal tools for curing genetic diseases. And they are excellent pest control agents as well.
It is clear that understanding how viruses work can have huge impacts in multiple areas that affect our quality of life. Bond LSC virologists and their colleagues are uniquely suited for producing new knowledge about viruses and their interactions with hosts that can be used to stop viral disease and develop helpful viruses for gene therapy.
The intensely collaborative approach of the Bond LSC promotes cooperation among outstanding virologists working in human, animal, and plant systems, focusing on critical processes seen in all virus-infected plant and animal cells.
Our virologists also gain access to novel tools by interacting with a wide range of experts in diverse research areas. They employ the latest imaging, computational, genomic and analytical methods to fully understand how viruses exploit their hosts. This approach has already produced anti-HIV drugs thousands of times more powerful than existing treatments, novel approaches to preventing and treating human and animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth, and medicinal plant remedies that complement modern medicine. At the same time, new means of correcting genetic defects using viruses as therapies are in development.