Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

It was recently demonstrated that a dysregulated phenomenon in cancer and other diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, can also be modified by viruses. This phenomenon, alternative splicing, could therefore be potentially involved in virus-host interaction. This research project aims to study the dysregulation of alternative splicing upon viral infection. First, using a model virus (reovirus), we wish to understand why do a virus alters alternative splicing of the host cell and how do they achieve this modulation. Second, we are going to verify if this dysregulation of alternative splicing might play a role in the development of cance, since numerous viruses are able to cause cancer. To do so, we are going to study human papillomas virus (HPV), which is a major etiologic factor of cervical and head and neck cancers. This project will allow a better understanding of how do viruses modulate alternative splicing, why do they do it and mainly what is the impact on the interaction between the virus and the host cell and on the process of cancer formation. These studies will allow identification of new avenues of therapy by which alternative splicing could be modulated. A treatment to prevent the development of cancer upon viral infection or novel therapies against problematic viruses such as HIV or Ebola using modulation of alternative splicing might be considered.