What mechanisms do human liver cells use to react to an infection with the hepatitis E virus? And why is it that some types of this virus are transmissible from animals to humans, while others are not? Virologist Dr Volker Kinast from the School V - School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Oldenburg is researching these questions. In order to expand his research, he is now receiving a "University of Oldenburg Young Researchers' Fellowship". "With this funding, we are honouring outstanding scientists who are conducting research in promising fields. During the three years of funding, they can both advance their research and prepare proposals for longer-term third-party funding," explains Prof Dr Ralf Grüttemeier, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the university.
Kinast's research focuses on hepatitis E viruses (HEV), which, like SARS-CoV-2, the trigger of COVID-19, are RNA viruses, i.e. have a genome made up of ribonucleic acid. Depending on the genotype, hepatitis E viruses are transmitted from person to person through smear infection or contaminated drinking water or enter the human organism through the consumption of meat, especially raw pork. Although HEV is the most common cause of viral hepatitis infection worldwide, it often goes unnoticed because there are often no specific symptoms. However, HEV can have serious consequences for people with an impaired immune system and pregnant women and can cause liver failure.
Kinast and his team want to investigate the fundamental interactions between host and virus. To this end, he is focussing in particular on the genotypes of HEV that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The Oldenburg virologist wants to find out how the virus makes the transition from the animal to the human host, which entry factors enable this process and how the virus manages to overcome the innate immune defence. Kinast and his team are also taking a closer look at the defence mechanisms of the infected cells. The focus is on the question of how cells can protect themselves from infection. Understanding these processes should help to develop effective drugs against infection in the long term.
Kinast studied biology at the University of Cologne and obtained his master's degree in biomedicine at Hannover Medical School, where he also completed his doctorate in 2020. He then worked as a researcher at the University of Bochum and moved to University Medicine Oldenburg in 2022. There, he conducts research in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology under Prof Dr Axel Hamprecht. His team includes two doctoral students and one Master's student.