This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 - Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) provides $734,184 to the Trustees of Boston University, doing business as Boston University Medical Campus, to conduct research on the mechanisms of parainfluenza virus genome replication. The primary objectives are to:
Perform structural analysis of the parainfluenza virus polymerase complex to identify key molecular features that regulate transcription versus replication processes.
Investigate how viral inclusion bodies influence polymerase dimerization and the balance between transcription and replication activities.
This 5-year award, effective March 1, 2025, will utilize advanced techniques like AMPFISH and electron tomography to gain novel insights into parainfluenza virus replication that could aid antiviral drug development and expand understanding of this important class of negative-strand RNA viruses. The research team has extensive expertise in virology, structural biology, and imaging to support these investigations.