MRC/UCL Centre for Medical Molecular Virology

A single herpes simplex virus particle can shut down a cell's defences within minutes, and this centre will study exactly how it—and other viruses—do it. Viruses cause diseases ranging from AIDS and hepatitis to chickenpox and birth defects. Despite decades of research, many fundamental questions remain unanswered: how do viruses enter cells, hijack their machinery, and evade the immune system? This centre brings together virologists and clinicians to study viruses taken directly from patients, alongside the immune responses those patients mount. The goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of infection in real human contexts, not just in lab-adapted strains. This is primarily fundamental science. The immediate output will be a deeper understanding of viral life cycles and host defences. That knowledge could eventually inform the design of better vaccines or antiviral drugs—for example, by revealing a weak spot common to many herpesviruses, or by showing why some people control HIV better than others. Past fundamental virology research has already led to hepatitis C cures and HPV vaccines. This centre aims to lay the groundwork for the next generation of such breakthroughs.