Epigenetic regulation of host factors in viral infections (EPIVINF)

The EPIVINF project aims to gain a deep understanding of how acute viral infections alter the epigenetic regulation of host factors that are critical for immune control and neurological health. In particular, EPIVINF will address how acute viral infections impact epigenetic control of host proteins that drive virus-associated disease and/or are involved in the antiviral immune response and how such persistent, epigenetic marks are related to long-term disease evolution. EPIVINF will focus on two major human viral infections, HIV and SARS-CoV-2, both pathogens that affect millions of people around the world and which, despite well-known differences, share some intriguing features that demand further research.

We hypothesize that a) defining individuals personal epigenetic profiles, b) assessing how they impact on the innate and adaptive immunity and c) analysing epigenetic control mechanisms in two different viral infections (HIV and SARS-CoV-2), will provide important insights into how different individuals react to different viral infections, how different infections may share similar mechanism that impact on the long term health outcomes, how these processes define the further disease course and, finally, how they could serve as targets for novel therapeutic interventions.

To achieve these goals, we will use an panel of cutting-edge epigenetic analyses, immune monitoring tools, disease-relevant animal models, samples from unique human vaccine trials and integrated biosystems analyses to gain a deep understanding of how viral infections harness epigenetic mechanisms to change the adaptive and innate immune phenotype of infected individuals, not only during acute stages of the infection but potentially for live. The study includes extensive patient follow-up to identify factors that predispose to different clinical symptoms and disease progression.