Cell pirates in the body: Why it is important to understand viruses

Viruses cannot exist for long without a host cell and therefore settle quickly when they find a suitable host. 70 percent of the viruses that can infect us humans originate from the animal kingdom. As a result of climate change and human intervention in ecosystems, habitats are changing and shifting, making human-animal contact more frequent. One prominent newcomer, for example, is the Asian tiger mosquito, which can carry a number of tropical diseases.
In her lecture, Gisa Gerold, Director of the Institute of Virology, explains the contribution that basic virological research makes to the four pillars of epidemic prevention and management: Surveillance/diagnostics, non-pharmaceutical interventions, vaccination and medication. Specifically, the questions of what strategies viruses follow to enter our cells, what this has to do with the epidemic risk and how this information helps to prevent and treat viral diseases will be investigated.
"Wissen|schaf(f)t Gesundheit" is a lecture series organized by the Medical University of Innsbruck. Doctors and researchers present the current state of research to an interested public in an understandable way.
Free admission, no registration required, admission from 18:00 in the main lecture hall (Audimax). The lecture can also be followed via livestream.
More information: https://events.i-med.ac.at/all/wissenschafftgesundheit/