Korea VirusResearch Institute

Research Objective

• Perform epidemiological analyses of emerging viruses to define infection characteristics and pathogenic mechanisms.
• Establish organoid-based platforms for virus isolation, culture, and novel virus identification.
• Apply transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic profiling of zoonotic RNA viruses to develop core platform technologies.
• Use single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to uncover mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and immune responses.
• Develop virus vector and monoclonal antibody–based platforms to support innovative vaccine and therapeutic design.

Research Contents

Interspecies Transmission of Influenza Viruses

• Elucidate molecular and immunological mechanisms underlying cross-species adaptation, immune evasion, and transmission dynamics of influenza viruses, building predictive models for zoonotic potential.

Rodent- and Tick-borne Bunyaviruses

• Investigate age-dependent pathogenic mechanisms and host-specific defense responses of bunyaviruses such as SFTSV and Hantaviruses, providing scientific bases for vaccine and therapeutic development.

Virome Analysis and Novel Virus Discovery

• Conduct multi-host and organoid-based virome analyses to identify novel and hard-to-culture viruses, reconstruct evolutionary dynamics, and assess zoonotic risks including potential Disease-X pathogens.

Development of Next-Generation Vaccine Platforms

• Advance universal vaccine strategies, including self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), virus-like particles (VLPs), and intranasal immunization, to establish rapid and scalable countermeasures against emerging viral infections.

Multi-Host Immune Response Atlas

• Build comprehensive transcriptomic and epitranscriptomic atlases of host immune responses across species, leveraging single-cell and spatial genomics to reveal critical determinants of viral pathogenesis and transmission.

Viral Control Technologies

• Engineer innovative antiviral approaches such as nuclease abzymes, AI-assisted mini-proteins, and cap-snatching inhibitors, alongside systematic screening of replication inhibitors, to develop broad-spectrum therapeutics.

Viral Transcriptomics

• Utilize multi-species and multi-organ organoids combined with (epi)transcriptomics to characterize cross-species adaptation of coronaviruses and influenza viruses, functionally validate host–virus determinants, and establish platforms for antiviral drug discovery.