Viral RNA Modifications and Implications for Novel Therapeutics ,

Session Description
Dr. Courtney’s lab has put focused on researching influenza viruses. This webinar will cover the role of RNA modifications in viral replication, specifically the influenza A virus, and how it might inform the design of both novel antivirals and mRNA-based therapeutics.

Dr. Courtney will begin this session by elaborating on the importance of RNA modifications and the techniques he and his colleagues have applied for RNA modifications. He will then proceed to describe the varieties of RNA modifications currently known and utilized by RNA viruses during infection of mammalian cells and how molecular virology techniques can elucidate the roles of these modifications. Dr. Courtney will also discuss the previous and latest discovery in cellular systems used to modify viral RNA before concluding on how RNA modification and its future investigations can aid in the design of successful therapeutics.

Highlights of the Presentation
Identify which RNA modifications are important for viral replication
Reveal how m6A affects influenza virus replication
Discuss how viral RNAs are modified
Present how RNA modifications might inform future therapeutics

Webinar Speaker
Dr. David Courtney

School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences

Queen’s University Belfast

Dr. David Courtney is currently an ERC Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, focusing on influenza viruses and with a particular interest in post-transcriptional regulation of viral RNA through interactions with host pathways. Dr. Courtney has published a number of papers on the direct role RNA modifications, such as m6A and m5C, have on viral replication kinetics.