PISA – The PNRR INF-ACT foundation, active in the One Health and emerging infectious diseases field, has provided funding of 2.5 million euros to study the disease mechanisms and persistence of viruses such as Chikungunya, Dengue, Toscana, West Nile ( WNV) and Zika.
The study, whose acronym is GENESIS, will be conducted by a consortium of public and private research bodies and companies coordinated by Mauro Pistello, professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Pisa and director of the Virology Operational Unit of the Pisan hospital-university company (Aoup).
The objective of GENESIS is more relevant than ever given the continuous increase in the number of cases and the geographical area in which they are reported. The latest WHO bulletin shows that from the beginning of the year to 30 April 2024 there were over 7.6 million cases of Dengue alone, reported in 90 different countries and which caused over 3,000 deaths. Among these countries there is also Italy: for Dengue alone in the first five months of 2024, 250 cases were diagnosed, 6 times more than in the same period of 2023. At the moment these are only imported cases but, given the presence of the vector mosquito in Italy, autochthonous outbreaks are also expected in the summer period as occurred from 2020 onwards.
Climate change, the presence of vector insects, travel and global trade are among the main factors responsible for the spread of arboviruses, as they are commonly called. However, these are associated with other elements such as the persistence of the virus in humans and animals with mechanisms that are still little known but which have significant repercussions on the spread of the infection and on public health.
GENESIS will analyze replication cycle, cell and organ damage of different arboviruses and evaluate specific cellular factors as potential targets for antiviral therapy. The study will also examine the antibody response induced by the Toscana virus, an endemic arbovirus in Italy and especially in our areas, in serial patient samples to identify biomarkers of pathogenicity and persistence and improve current diagnostic tests.
In addition to Aoup and the University of Pisa, the consortium includes the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Trieste), the National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Lazzaro Spallanzani” (Rome), the National Cancer Institute “Fondazione Pascale” ( Naples), the TIGEM Telethon Foundation (Naples), the San Raffaele Hospital (Milan), the University of Eastern Piedmont and the University of Trento as well as two private companies. In line with the objectives of INF-ACT, GENESIS will increase knowledge of the virus-host interaction of these emerging viruses and lead to the improvement of prevention, treatment and control strategies.
Last modified: June 24, 2024
