Description
The poster offers junior scientists the unique opportunity to creatively explain their research work to the entire audience with a pre-recorded 1-minute video.
• Audience: All participants are welcome
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Jia-Yi Chan (Institute of Virology and Immunology)9/13/26, 6:00 PMViral PathogenesisPoster presentation
In 2024, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses were first detected in dairy cows in Texas, USA. Unlike typical influenza infections, the virus replicated predominantly in mammary gland tissue, causing a mastitis-like disease associated with high virus titers in milk.
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To identify viral determinants of bovine cell tropism, we compared the bovine H5N1Tex/24, with the avian... -
Mr Max Geißler (Institute of Immunology Tübingen), Mr Konrad Merz (Institute of Immunology Tübingen)9/13/26, 6:01 PMAntivirals and VaccinesPoster presentation
Universal influenza vaccine strategies predominantly exploit the conserved hemagglutinin (HA) stalk as a target for broadly neutralizing antibodies. Whether the HA stalk also contributes to protective T cell immunity remains poorly understood. We therefore investigated the underappreciated immunological capacity of HA stalk in shaping CD4+ T cell immunity within our Orf virus–based universal...
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Lioba Böhm (Institute of Virology (IVM), University Münster, Immunology of Respiratory Tract Infections, Department of Medicine V, Justus-Liebig University Giessen)9/13/26, 6:02 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
The FluPrep consortium aims to establish a reliable, multipronged risk assessment pipeline to evaluate the health risk and pandemic potential of emerging influenza A viruses (IAVs) for humans. This is critical as avian H5Nx IAVs of clade 2.3.4.4b have caused widespread outbreaks and spillover events in wild birds and mammals, facilitating genetic reassortment and stepwise adaptations to...
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138. Influenza A virus NS1 targets the host ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 to promote innate immune evasionMr Théo Massart9/13/26, 6:03 PMInnate immunityPoster presentation
RIG-I-mediated sensing of viral RNA initiates type I interferon (IFN-I) expression, which is essential for innate immune defense. Because aberrant activation of this pathway can lead to autoimmune disorders, RIG-I signaling is tightly regulated. The E3 ubiquitin ligase ZNF598 indirectly suppresses IFN-I expression by conjugating ubiquitin D (FAT10) to RIG-I, thereby inhibiting its activation...
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Matthias Weiler9/13/26, 6:04 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
The non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus (pdm09) is a multifunctional virulence factor that antagonizes innate immunity and regulates multiple virus-host cell interactions. Despite its central role during infection, the contribution of site-specific phosphorylation remains poorly understood. We analyzed phospho-ablative and phospho-mimetic NS1 mutants using...
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Théotime Brehon (RNA Biology of Influenza Virus Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3569, Paris, France.)9/13/26, 6:05 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Since 2020, highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A viruses (IAV) of clade 2.3.4.4b have expanded their host range to include domestic mammals such as dairy cattle and American mink. The human Mx1 interferon-induced protein is a major host-jump barrier, as Mx1-escape mutations on the viral nucleoprotein (NP) often incur a fitness cost. Swine Mx1 is less potent than human Mx1, facilitating the...
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Leander Witte (University of Oxford)9/13/26, 6:06 PMVirus ReplicationPoster presentation
Influenza A viruses contain a segmented genome of eight negative-sense, single-stranded RNAs (vRNAs), each packaged with a viral RNA polymerase and nucleoprotein into viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNPs). These vRNPs undergo both transcription and replication, producing (I) capped, polyadenylated mRNAs and (II) uncapped, full-length vRNAs via a complementary RNA (cRNA) intermediate....
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Jana Mareike Schmitz (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen)9/13/26, 6:07 PMViral PathogenesisPoster presentation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) occasionally cross the species barrier and often induce excessive host inflammation in humans. Deletion-containing viral genomes (DVGs) arise through internal deletions during error-prone Influenza A virus (IAV) replication and can have immune stimulatory potential. We hypothesize that virus-specific DVG landscapes contribute to HPAIV...
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Tomas Shimkus9/13/26, 6:08 PMAntivirals and VaccinesPoster presentation
Influenza A virus (IAV) is a globally significant respiratory pathogen responsible for seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Its high mutation rate and frequent genetic reassortment enable rapid escape from existing antiviral therapies, underscoring the need for new therapeutic strategies. Current high-throughput assays for screening...
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Mr Miroslav Metodiev (1 Department of Virology, Stephan Angeloff Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria)9/13/26, 6:09 PMAntivirals and VaccinesPoster presentation
Influenza viruses remain a major public health challenge due to continuous antigenic evolution, increasing antiviral resistance, and limitations of current vaccines, highlighting the need for novel antivirals with alternative mechanisms of action. Natural products represent a promising source of antiviral compounds. We investigated the cytotoxicity, antiviral activity, combined therapy with...
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Anja Heuhsen9/13/26, 6:10 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
The Influenza A virus causes up to 1 billion infections and up to 500.000 deaths per year, representing a persistent global threat. Even though the virus evades the human immune system through antigenic drift and shift of the surface proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase, vaccination is still the best way to protect individuals from a severe outcome. Nevertheless, individual vulnerability...
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Marta Czechowicz (Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany)9/13/26, 6:11 PMViral PathogenesisPoster presentation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIV) of the clade 2.3.4.4b H5Nx lineage continue to emerge globally, posing a growing threat to animal and human health. The ferret model is one of the most reliable animal models for predicting the pathogenicity and virulence of HPAIV in humans.
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This study compared the light microscopic lesions and viral tropism in ferrets infected with U.S.... -
Laurine Payre (Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1)9/13/26, 6:13 PMCoinfectionsPoster presentation
Respiratory tract infections are responsible for 3 to 5 million deaths each year worldwide. Respiratory co-infections, involving multiple pathogens simultaneously or sequentially, involve complex host-pathogen interactions whose mechanisms remain poorly understood. In particular, the role of sialic acids and microbial neuraminidases has been little explored in viral/bacterial co-infections....
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Esteban Suls9/13/26, 6:14 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 viruses continue to threaten poultry production, wildlife, and public health worldwide. Although direct contact is considered the primary transmission route, increasing evidence suggests that airborne spread may contribute to local dissemination. The INFLUE-AIR project aims to improve understanding of airborne HPAI transmission and its implications...
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Benjamin Van Loy (The VirusBank Platform, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium)9/13/26, 6:15 PMAntivirals and VaccinesPoster presentation
The Global Viral Infection Research Center (G VIC), a TOP TIER project of the National Research Foundation of Korea, aims to develop novel antivirals and vaccines through international collaboration. As part of this effort, the VirusBank Platform screened ~100,000 compounds from the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) to identify inhibitors of influenza virus using a MUNANA...
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Emma Balibrea Roelans (Institute of Virology and Immunology)9/13/26, 6:16 PMVirus ReplicationPoster presentation
Hemagglutinin (HA) is a key determinant of influenza A virus (IAV) virulence. HA mediates host cell binding and membrane fusion, the latter requiring proteolytic cleavage into HA1 and HA2. Most IAVs contain a monobasic cleavage site recognized by trypsin-like proteases expressed only in specific cell types.
This study compared IAV replication in various cell lines, including MDCK-I,...
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Pia Madeleine Leipe (Universtity Münster, Institute for Virology)9/13/26, 6:17 PMInnate immunityPoster presentation
Infections with seasonal influenza A viruses (IAVs) typically trigger a balanced antiviral response, whereas highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) often lead to systemic inflammation and severe disease. The molecular determinants driving these aberrant reactions remain poorly defined. Our previous research identified a specific signaling cascade comprising protein kinase R (PKR),...
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Ms Ulla Mikkonen (Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland)9/13/26, 6:18 PMAntivirals and VaccinesPoster presentation
In 2023, Finland experienced a major outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza caused by clade 2.3.4.4b influenza A(H5N1) virus, with transmission from wild birds to fur farms. In June 2024, Finland became the first country to vaccinate occupational risk groups using the MF59-adjuvanted influenza A(H5N8) vaccine (A/Astrakhan/3212/2020, Seqirus). We aimed to characterise the quality and...
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Hassane Rolland (Sciensano)9/13/26, 6:19 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses from clade 2.3.4.4b represent a major threat to animal and public health. Since 2021, these viruses have undergone unprecedented ecological and epidemiological changes characterized by global dissemination and expansion of the range of susceptible bird and mammal species. Also, sustained mammal-to-mammal transmission has been documented in...
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Beda Anttila (University of Turku)9/13/26, 6:20 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are pathogens that cause mainly respiratory infections in humans, but they can also infect variety of animals. IAVs are also responsible for seasonal epidemic outbreaks in humans, and the zoonotic strains pose a possible pandemic threat. In recent years, the H5N1 avian influenza virus, IAV subtype, has caused unprecedented bird mortality and infections in mammals...
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Dr Ricarda Mittrowann (Institute of Immunology, University of Münster)9/13/26, 6:21 PMInnate immunityPoster presentation
Rising public skepticism toward vaccination highlights the need for evidence of influenza vaccine effectiveness. Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving immunomodulatory therapy represent a population for whom vaccine-mediated protection is especially relevant. This project investigates the mechanistic effects of three licensed influenza vaccines on innate immune function in...
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Mrs Malika Kurbaniyazova (Assistant, Department of Epidemiology, Tashkent State Medical University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan)9/13/26, 6:22 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been repeatedly reported in Central Asia. WOAH data show 27 outbreaks in Kazakhstan during 2005-2023 (20 poultry, 7 wildlife), plus detections in southern Siberia. Uzbekistan lies on the same Central Asian flyway, linking Siberian breeding areas with South/Southwest Asian wintering grounds, where wild bird migration and duck...
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Chiara R. Bojarzyn (Institute of Virology Muenster)9/13/26, 6:24 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) rely heavily on host cell metabolism for productive replication. Several studies have demonstrated that IAVs actively modulate host cellular processes. It has already been shown that suppression of glucose metabolism inhibits viral replication. Interestingly, inhibition of glycolysis disrupts IAV replication by impairing viral polymerase function resulting in reduced...
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Mengying Liu (Utrecht University)9/13/26, 6:25 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Contemporary swine influenza A viruses (IAV-S) of the Eurasian-avian lineage (EAav) present a pandemic threat by being antigenically largely distinct from the IAV-S that caused the 2009 pandemic (Pdm09). Cross-species transmission only rarely occurs and the role of respiratory mucus as a decoy receptor-loaden species barrier is understudied. IAV infection requires binding to specific sialic...
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Baby Naznin (Univ Toulouse, ENVT, INRAE)9/13/26, 6:26 PMEpidemiology and emerging virusesPoster presentation
Since the first outbreak in March 2024, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV) H5N1, clade 2.3.4.4b, has infected both poultry and dairy farms in multiple states of the United States (US). Norway and United Kingdom have also reported H5 virus in small ruminants having found seropositive sheep in 2023 and 2025, respectively. The Netherlands reported one seropositive cow in a farm...
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Mohamed El Sayes (INRAE, ENVT, IHAP, Toulouse University, Toulouse 31300, France)9/13/26, 6:27 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) H5Nx viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b have become spread globally in the last few years. In early 2024, the USA reported the first outbreak of HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype B3.13 in dairy cattle. In France, HPAI H5N1 of clade 2.3.4.4b (genotype DI) caused numerous outbreaks in wild and domestic birds. Since 2022, around 32 million birds have been culled...
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Ruonan Liang (Utrecht University)9/13/26, 6:28 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Seasonal human H3N2 influenza viruses, subclade K (J.2.4.1), have been the predominant influenza A viruses in the Northern hemisphere influenza season of 2025/2026. Since 2024, the vaccine virus A/Darwin/6/21 has emerged into different antigenic variants. To assess antigenicity, the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay is the most widely used, and a loss of binding to turkey erythrocytes...
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Alexandre RIBEIRO (IHAP, UMR1225, Université de Toulouse, INRAe, ENVT, Toulouse, France)9/13/26, 6:29 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Low-pathogenic H9N2 avian influenza is endemic in poultry in many regions of the world, causing significant economic loss and representing a persistent zoonotic threat with pandemic potential as recognized by the WHO. To better understand how each residue of the H9 HA tolerates mutations, we aim to perform a deep mutational scanning (DMS) of its entire coding sequence: this represents a total...
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Thomas Peyret9/13/26, 6:30 PMVirus host cell interactionPoster presentation
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) results from complex interactions between the host, the respiratory microbiota, and multiple respiratory pathogens, including influenza D virus. Mucins, the major structural components of respiratory mucus, constitute the first line of defense against inhaled pathogens. They carry O-glycans whose terminal sialic acid residues mediate interactions between...
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