Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are major pathogens in humans and in animals. They undergo continuous antigenic changes and interspecies transmission, and the unpredictability of their evolution creates continuous animal and public health challenges : recurring annual epidemics, frequent epizootics, and occasional pandemics.
Our research aims at understanding how the influenza virus RNA polymerase interacts and cooperates with host cell components to control the synthesis, processing, and trafficking of the viral mRNAs and genomic RNAs. These interactions represent potential targets for the development of therapeutic antiviral drugs which could be active against a wide range of IAVs and be less likely to select for resistance mutants. Also at stake is a better understanding of the mechanisms through which the viral polymerase determines the virulence and zoonotic potential of IAVs.
