EVAg

The entity UNIBAS, DBM-Petersplatz consists of 4 competitive Research Groups (Experimental Virology; Molecular Virology; Transplantation Virology; Experimental Rheumatology), covering basic and applied research. In addition UNIBAS established an accredited diagnostic laboratory for PCR, viral testing, and serology with a strong track record in clinically relevant emerging pathogens, disease-related viruses from transplantation context and immune disorders, and on new test development.

Our expertise in diagnostics, accredited & quality controlled laboratory operations, and pathogen identification & characterization allows us to competently identify and contribute materials and know-how to the unique consortium of EVAg. The research labs are situated as University unit in the city centre, in immediate proximity to all other university institutes and the University Hospital of Basel. The laboratory of the managing director, Daniel Pinschewer, M.D., who previously researched at the University of Geneva, where his laboratory was one of the founding member labs of the European Virus Archive, has provided until today over 140 transnational EVA accesses.

The UNIBAS-group is internationally recognized for its contributions to fundamental mechanisms of virus host interactions, pathogenesis, and immunity, as well as for high-end molecular diagnostic capacity and development, notably on human immunodeficiency virus. Our work ranges from the first identification of pathogens and the development of primary detection tools for emerging pathogens (e.g. nation-wide for H5N1 or coronaviruses) to the provision of diagnostic tools (primers, probes, cloning activities and reference materials, etc.) in the same context.These tools, which are widely requested and appreciated, today serve diagnostics and investigative virology also at the University Hospital of Basel. The laboratory UNIBAS at the Department of Biomedicine is specialized in viral diagnostics up to biosafety level 3. The associated diagnostics laboratory serves as Swiss W.H.O. National Reference Centre for polio myelitis, and our expertise on enteroviruses may also contribute to future work of the consortium.

Our special expertise is on viral pathogens: arenaviruses, polyomaviruses, lentiviruses, para-and orthomyxoviruses, and we develop and study cell models, animal models, viral pathogenesis, genome identification, molecular characterization and cloning, phenotypic profiling, in vitro pharmacology and inhibitor studies, resistance generation and -characterization.