Virus cross-species transmission. Defining the immunological barriers to viral emergence

Humans are constantly exposed to a variety of animal viruses. Understanding why most of these viruses fail to spillover and thrive in human populations is crucial to devise optimal strategies to manage viral emergence. Our programme aims to understand diverse immunological barriers to virus cross-species transmission. Our hypothesis is that the genetic and immunological variability of each individual or species helps define susceptibility or resistance to virus cross-species transmission. Our first aim is to identify those genes that are activated immediately after virus infection (known as interferon-stimulated genes, ISGs) and block respiratory viruses. Our second aim is to create a risk assessment framework to identify those specific viral proteins (and specific amino acid residues within the proteins) that favour the spillover of avian influenza viruses into the human population. The third and last aim of the programme is to understand the antibody landscape in humans and selected animal species, in order to estimate the impact of cross-neutralising antibodies and, at the population level, cross-immunity on constraining viral emergence. At the end of this programme, we will be able to translate our discoveries by delivering actionable data that can support the risk assessment of the zoonotic potential of viruses.