
7-9 February 2018
Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain
Conference Awards 300€ & 500 €
Please feel free to download our Viruses 2018 poster and to help us to promote the conference in your Institute and University.
For sponsorship and exhibition opportunities please take a look at our brochure for Viruses 2018.
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure that I announce the conference Viruses 2018 - Breakthroughs in Viral Replication to be held in Barcelona, Spain, 7-9 February 2018. The importance of viruses to human health has never been more apparent, and significant progress is being made in understanding virus replication, structure, transmission, pathogenesis, and antiviral immunity. This conference will bring together leading virologists from around the world to share their recent findings. Meeting participants will have the opportunity to present posters and short talks on their work and discuss their research in a relaxed, collegial environment.
The conference is sponsored by MDPI, the publisher of the open-access journal Viruses and follows the very successful meeting Viruses 2016 - At the Forefront of Virus-Host Interactions held in Jan 2016 in Basel, Switzerland.
I very much look forward to seeing you at this exciting meeting in Barcelona.
Best regards,
Eric O. Freed, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Viruses
Director, HIV Dynamics and Replication Program
Head, Virus-Cell Interaction Section
Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute
Bg. 535/Rm. 110
Frederick, MD, USA
http://home.ncifcrf.gov/hivdrp/Freed.html
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Dr. Eric O. FreedNational Cancer Institute, NIH - Frederick, MD, USA |
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Dr. Albert BoschEnteric Virus Laboratory, School of Biology,
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Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchhoff |
Prof. Dr. Kay Grünewald |
Prof. Dr. Urs Greber |
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Prof. Dr. Michael S. Diamond |
Dr. Alasdair Steven |
Dr. Alain Kohl |
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Dr. Daniel Douek |
Dr. K. Andrew White |
Prof. Dr. Adam Zlotnick |
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Dr. Sara Sawyer |
Prof. Dr. Clodagh O'Shea |
Dr. Elena I. Frolova |
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Dr. Leo James |
Prof. Dr. Don C. Lamb |
Prof. Dr. Andrew B. Ward |
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Dr. Amelia Nieto |
Prof. Dr. Ian Goodfellow |
For information regarding sponsoring opportunities, please contact Antonio Peteira.
E-Mail: antonio.peteira@mdpi.com
Tel. +34 936397662















| Early Registration: until 15 December 2017 | |
| Academic | 600 EUR |
| Section Editor and Guest Editor of Viruses* | 300 EUR |
| Scientific Board Members of Viruses | 450 EUR |
| MDPI Author** or Reviewer*** | 500 EUR |
| Student | 400 EUR |
| Non-academic | 1000 EUR |
| Late Registration: 16 December 2017 - 9 February 2018 - Closed |
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| Academic | 700 EUR |
| Section Editor and Guest Editor of Viruses* | 300 EUR |
| Scientific Board Members of Viruses | 550 EUR |
| MDPI Author** or Reviewer*** | 600 EUR |
| Student | 400 EUR |
| Non-academic | 1100 EUR |
SEV Members (Sociedad Española de Virología) 350 EUR
The registration fee includes attendance of all conference sessions, morning/afternoon coffee breaks and lunches, participation in the conference dinner on the 7th of February, conference bag and program book. Other dinners are not included and are left at the convenience of attendees.
Please note that, in order to finalize the scientific program in due time, at least one registration by anyone of the authors, denoted as Covering Author, is required to cover the presentation and publication of any accepted abstract. Covering Author registration deadline is 9 January 2018.
* Guest Editors who served in 2015 or later will enjoy a discount.
** First and last authors of articles published in 2015 or later will enjoy a discount.
*** Reviewers who provided timely review reports in 2015 or later will enjoy a discount.
Participation to the conference is considered final only once the registration fees have been paid. The number of participants is limited, once the number of paid registrations reaches the maximum number of participants, unpaid registrations will be cancelled.
| Cancellation of paid registration is possible under the terms listed below: | |
| > 2 months before the conference | Full refund but 100 EUR are retained for administration |
| > 1 month before the conference | Refund 50% of the applying fees |
| > 2 weeks before the conference | Refund 25% of the applying fees |
| < 2 weeks before the conference | No refund |
The Sponsor, Viruses, offers two awards to our participants at the conference:
1. Best Poster Award (1): 300€.
2. Best Oral Presentation Award (1): 500€
The nominations will be assessed by the Organizing Committee.
As you may know, as a response to the current political situation in Spain and Catalonia, there have been peaceful protest movements occurring in Barcelona. We do not expect any related disruption at the conference site and there should be no impact on the meeting. Moreover, the demonstration up till now have been completely peaceful and have not caused us to be concerned regarding our safety/security. Finally, during the last months we have successfully held three other conferences in Barcelona (two in September and one in October) and we are working to make Viruses 2018 a great meeting for the Virology community.
The Viruses 2018 Organization Team
The detailed conference program of Viruses 2018 - Breakthroughs in Viral Replication is now available, please see below.
Also, the book of abstracts of the conference can be downloaded here (last update 30th May 2019).
Program Structure - Viruses 2018: Breakthroughs in Viral Replication, 7-9 February 2018, Barcelona (Spain) |
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Wednesday 7 February 2018 |
Thursday 8 February 2017 |
Friday 9 February 2018 |
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Morning |
Check-in Program Overview and Introduction Chairs: Eric O. Freed and Albert Bosch S1. General Topics in Virology |
S3. Virus Replication |
S5. Genome Packaging and Replication/Assembly |
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Coffee Break |
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S1. General Topics in virology |
S3. Virus Replication |
S5. Genome Packaging and Replication/Assembly |
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Lunch |
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S2. Structural Virology |
S4. Replication and Pathogenesis of RNA Viruses |
S6. Antiviral Innate Immunity and Viral Pathogenesis |
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Coffee Break |
Apéro and Poster Session Conference Group Photograph |
Coffee Break |
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S2. Structural Virology |
S6. Antiviral Innate Immunity and Viral Pathogenesis Closing Remarks |
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| Conference Dinner | |||
Wednesday 7 February 2018: 08:00 - 12:30 / 14:00 - 18:00 / Conference Dinner: 20:30
Thursday 8 February 2018: 08:30 - 12:30 / 14:00 - 18:30
Friday 9 February 2018: 08:30 - 12:30 / 14:00 - 18:15
08:00 – 08:45 Check-in
08:45 – 09:00 Program Overview and Introduction - Eric O. Freed and Albert Bosch
Session 1: General Topics in Virology - Session Chairs: Thomas Klimkait and Joanna Parish
09:00 – 09:30 Ralf Bartenschlager: "New insights into Flaviviridae – host cell interactions"
09:30 – 09:45 Rachel Whitaker: "CRISPR-Cas co-evolutionary dynamics in natural host-virus populations"
09:45 – 10:00 Michael Bauer: "Ubiquitination-dependent Adenovirus Capsid Disassembly at the Nuclear Pore Complex"
10:00 – 10:15 Moriah Szpara: "Genomic and phenotypic diversity associated with neonatal HSV-2 disease"
10:15 – 10:45 Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:15 Rosa Pintó: "Hepatitis A virus codon usage: implications for virus biology and phenotype"
11:15 – 11:45 Michael S. Diamond: "CRISPR-Cas9 Screens Define Novel Host Factors Required for Infection by Arthritogenic Alphaviruses"
11:45 – 12:00 Itay Rousso: "Reverse transcription mechanically induces HIV-1 capsid disassembly"
12:00 – 12:15 Heinrich Gottlinger: "SERINCs and HIV Infectivity"
12:15 – 12:30 Inés Romero Brey: "Visualizing the 3D architecture of the Hepatitis A Virus replication organelles"
12:30–14:00 Lunch
Session 2: Structural Virology - Session Chairs: Delphine Muriaux and Kay Choi
14:00 – 14:15 Yohei Yamauchi: "An Influenza Uncoating Epitope Confers Capsid Stability"
14:15 – 14:45 Felix A. Rey: "Relations between Cell–Cell Fusion, Eukaryotic Evolution and Class II Enveloped Viruses Identified by Structural Studies"
14:45 – 15:00 Kelly Lee: "Dynamics bridge structure, function, and phenotype in viral entry machines"
15:00 – 15:15 Hadas Cohen Dvashi: "Structure-based rational design of broad range immunotherapy targeting TfR1-tropic arenaviruses"
15:15 – 15:30 Matteo Castelli: "Unraveling the structure-function relationship of hepatitis C virus fusion machinery by in silico structural modeling"
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 16:30 Eric O. Freed: "HIV-1 Assembly, Release, and Maturation"
16:30 – 17:00 Leo James: "Viral genome hide and seek; encapsidation versus host immunity"
17:00 – 17:15 Ana Joaquina Perez-Berná: "Correlative study of cellular modification induced by Hepatitis C infection by cryo soft X-ray tomography and Infrared microscopy"
17:15 – 17:30 Diego Ferrero: "Supramolecular arrangement of the Zika virus NS5 protein"
17:30 – 17:45 Jamil Saad: "Towards elucidating the structural basis for envelope incorporation into HIV-1 particles"
20:30 Conference Dinner
Session 3: Virus Replication Compartments - Session Chairs: Stefano Aquaro and Nathalie Arhel
08:30 – 09:00 Sandra Weller: "Roles of UL12 and ICP8 in the production of Herpes Simplex Virus DNA that can be packaged into infectious virus"
09:00 – 09:30 Sara Sawyer: "Spillover: How viruses adapt at the animal - human interface"
09:30 – 09:45 Thejaswi Nagaraju: "Mapping Epstein-Barr viral genome replication spatially and temporally during the viral lytic cycle"
09:45 – 10:00 Jean-Francois Eleouet: "Respiratory syncytial virus RNA synthesis in cytoplasmic inclusion bodies: organization and functioning"
10:00 – 10:15 Griffith Parks: "Cytoplasmic-Replicating Parainfluenza Virus Sensitizes the Nuclear Compartment to DNA-Damaging Agents; Implications for Oncolytic Virus Therapies"
10:15 – 10:45 Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:15 Clodagh O’shea: "Cracking Nuclear Codes: The 5D viral-cellular genome structures and interactions that drive pathological proliferation"
11:15 – 11:45 Elena I. Frolova: "Assembly of viral replication complexes: Roles for viral and host proteins"
11:45 – 12:00 Luis DaSilva: "ESCRT machinery activity is required for oropouche virus assembly at the Golgi complex"
12:00 – 12:15 Montserrat Bárcena: "Common themes in the ultrastructure and function of the coronavirus replication organelle"
12:15 – 12:30 Catherine Eichwald: "Core or Viroplasm? Dissecting rotavirus VP2 and NSP5 interaction"
12:30–14:00 Lunch
Session 4: Replication and Pathogenesis of RNA viruses - Session Chairs: Josep Quer and Richard Sutton
14:00 – 14:30 Amelia Nieto: "Epigenetic control of influenza virus: role of H3K79 methylation in interferon-induced antiviral response"
14:30 – 15:00 Ian Goodfellow: "Identification of trans acting factors involved in the norovirus life cycle."
15:00 – 15:15 Rachel van Duyne: "HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins confer broad resistance to antiretrovirals in vitro"
15:15 – 15:30 Natalya Teterina: "MicroRNA-based suppression of neurotropic flavivirus replication: application for the development of live attenuated vaccine"
15:30 – 15:45 Mariana Batista: "Adaptation of NrHV to the mouse host using selective innate and adaptive KO strains"
15:45 – 16:00 Fernando Ponz: "Differential developmental symptoms in Turnip mosaic virus-infected hosts is associated with the dynamic association of the viral P3 protein to the endoplasmic reticulum"
16:00 – 16:15 Pietro Scaturro: "An Orthogonal Proteomic Screen of Zika virus Uncovers Novel Host-dependency Factors"
16:15 – 16:30 Conference Group Photograph
16:30 – 18:30 Apéro and Poster Session
Session 5: Genome Packaging and Replication/Assembly - Session Chairs: Juan José López-Moya and François-Loïc Cosset
08:30 – 09:00 K. Andrew White: "Intra-genomic RNA-based Regulation in a Plus-strand RNA Virus"
09:00 – 09:30 Adam Zlotnick: "Assembly and disassembly of HBV: biology recapitulates physics"
09:30 – 09:45 Kay Choi: "Crystal structure of the dengue virus promoter RNA"
09:45 – 10:00 Vibhu Prasad: "Adenovirus activation of the unfolded protein response sensor Ire1 enhances immediate early viral transcription to promote viral persistence and lytic egress"
10:00 – 10:15 Myra Hosmillo: "Identification of cis-acting RNA sequences involved in norovirus VPg-dependent RNA synthesis"
10:15 – 10:45 Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:15 Andrew Ward: "Structure, function, and immune recognition of the enigmatic HIV envelope glycoprotein" - Young Investigator Award Winner 2017
11:15 – 11:30 Alexander Borodavka "Protein-Assisted RNA Folding Mediates Specific RNA–RNA Genome Segment Interactions in Segmented RNA Viruses"
11:30 – 11:45 Brett Lindenbach: "The hepacivirus and pestivirus NS3 helicases act as motor proteins to power RNA encapsidation during virus particle assembly"
11:45 – 12:00 Solène Denolly: "The Amino-Terminus of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) p7 Viroporin and Its Cleavage from Glycoprotein E2-p7 Precursor Determine Specific Infectivity and Secretion Levels of HCV Particle Type"
12:00 – 12:15 José Almendral: "Differential Phosphorylation and N-terminal Configuration of Capsid Subunits in Parvovirus Assembly and Viral Trafficking"
12:15–14:00 Lunch
Session 6: Antiviral Innate Immunity and Viral Pathogenesis - Session Chairs: Shan-Lu Liu and Eric Poeschla
14:00 – 14:30 Carolyn Coyne: "Stem Cell-derived Enteroids to Model Enterovirus-GI Interactions"
14:30 – 15:00 Sara Cherry: "Harnessing genomic approaches to explore the interface between viruses and hosts"
15:00 – 15:30 Urs Greber "Towards Understanding ‘Cell-to-Cell’ Variability of Viral Gene Expression"
15:30 – 15:45 Eric Snijder: "Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus employs the deubiquitinating activity of its nsp3 papain-like protease to suppress the innate immune response"
15:45 – 16:15 Coffee Break
16:15 – 16:45 Frank Kirchhoff "HIV Accessory Factors: More Than One Way to Skin a Cat"
16:45 – 17:15 Alain Kohl "Arboviruses and antiviral RNAi pathways in mosquito cells: progress in understanding regulation and effectors"
17:15 – 17:30 Susana Guerra: "ISG15 governs mitochondrial function in macrophages following vaccinia virus infection"
17:30 – 17:45 Pilar Domingo-Calap: "Virus-virus interactions driven by innate immune responses"
17:45 – 18:00 John Schoggins: "Interferon inhibits flavivirus replication via IFI6, a chaperone-dependent ER membrane effector"
18:00 – 18:15 Closing Remarks
We are glad to inform that the conference dinner will be held at Abrassame, a cutting-edge restaurant specialised in Mediterranean cuisine which, in addition to its location at the pictouresque terrace of Arenas de Barcelona, will make of your evening at the restaurant an experience to remember.

Abrassame is located at Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 373 – 385, only a few minutes away from one of one of Barcelona’s most emblematic must-sees, Montjüic. You can easily reach the restaurant from the conference venue either by taxi or by Metro. If you were to choose the second option, the easiest way to get there is by taking the Metro Line L3 at Palau Reial Station and drop off at Espanya Metro Station after 6 stops.