Ca2+ and Viruses: Probing Novel Ca2+ Channels in Viral Entry

Viruses, such as the Ebola virus, that enter cells through late endosomes, have been shown recently to require a novel class of host ion channels known as the two-pore channels (TPCs) for infection. We aim to establish how human TPCs impact on virus entry and investigate whether TPCs might be targeted therapeutically to develop novel specific, or broad-spectrum, anti-virals. This project is of contemporary significance and offers broad training at the interface of cell signalling, membrane traffic, drug discovery and disease.