ERC Advanced Grant for Frank van Kuppeveld

Virologist Frank van Kuppeveld has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, the highest individual and most prestigious research grant awarded by the European Research Council. This grant is linked to a sum of EUR 2.5 million which he will use to investigate the replication of enteroviruses for the next five years. The ERC Advanced Grants are research grants that are awarded annually to exceptional senior researchers.

VIRLUMINOUS: Illuminating the enteroviral life cycle

Professor Frank van Kuppeveld is the recipient of the ERC Advanced Grant for research into the life cycle of enteroviruses. These are common pathogens with a major impact on society, such as poliovirus, coxsackievirus and rhinovirus. His research focuses on localising and demonstrating interactions between viral RNA and viral proteins, and how these viruses hijack cellular proteins to form so-called replication organelles ('virus production factories'). With his team he will investigate this using advanced fluorescence microscopy, cryoEM  and state-of-the-art 'omics' techniques.

This research will lead to important new insights into the molecular interactions of enteroviruses with host cells and the molecular mechanisms by which these viruses replicate themselves. Since the corona pandemic, the need for virus inhibitors has been brought to anyone’s attention. The insights that we will gain with this project will be essential for the development of antiviral medicine

ERC Grants  

ERC Advanced Grant recipients are top researchers who have achieved significant research results in recent years and are engaged in pioneering research. Van Kuppeveld's virus research has in the past been honoured by NWO with prestigious  VIDI and VICI grants. In addition, he has coordinated two large EU networks in the field of virus replication and antiviral drug development and takes part in many other national and international consortia.