Director's Message----Wuhan Institute of Virology

Director's Message

Over the past year, under the joint efforts of all staff, the institute successfully completed various objectives through overall planning of various resources, highlighting the core competencies, effective promotion of scientific and technological innovation. The institute has made major breakthrough in three aspects, namely a) construction of China's high-level bio-safety research and technology system, b) bio-nano devices, and c) integration and application of green agriculture technology; and has made great progress in five key cultivation areas.
There have been some significant advances in the following scientific research aspects:
1. SARS etiology origin: The live SARS-like coronavirus SL-CoV-WIV1 has been isolated for the first time from the bat droppings; and such virus has been confirmed to invade the host cells through the ACE2 of human beings, civets and Rhinolophus sinicus. The research result has so far provided the most convincing evidence to the view that Rhinolophus sinicus is the natural host of SARS-CoV (Nature, 2013).
2. The bat as basis of the natural host of different viruses: The complete genome sequence analysis and comparative genomics research show that the natural immune deficiency of bats may be the basis for bats to be the natural host of numerous viruses (Science, 2013).
3. Virus quantum dot live cell labeling and molecular tracing: The quantum dot labeling of viral membrane has been realized in live cells; the virus labeling can be used for real-time tracing of virus infection process; the application of virology research in nanomaterials has been developed (ACS Nano, 2013).
4. Structure analysis of Japanese encephalitis virus RNA polymerase: The complete structure of yellow viral polymerase has been analyzed for the first time in the world, thus laying the foundation for the broad-spectrum drug design (PLOS Pathogens, 2013).
5. New antiviral natural immune regulation mechanism: The negative regulation protein WWP2, which is capable of specifically inhibiting TLR3 signaling pathway without affecting other innate immune signaling pathways, has been identified for the first time, hence providing important theoretical basis for future screening of specific targeted antiviral drug (PNAS, 2013).
6. Study of new mucosal adjuvant: A new type of protein adjuvant - recombinant flagellin protein has been granted the U.S. Patent, thus laying a good foundation for the new mucosal vaccine.

As a National International Collaboration Center, WIV promotes medium- and long-term international collaboration with organizations around the world. For example, WIV, in cooperation with Wageningen University in the Netherlands and France’s Montpellier 2 University, established the Joint Lab of Invertebrate Virology. WIV has also played a key role in the development of the CAS-African Research Center in Nairobi. WIV is in charge of setting up the microbiology and epidemiology lab, which will specialize in pathogen detection, the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and prevention and control of infectious diseases.

WIV will spare no effort to conduct fundamental, strategic and forward-looking R&D with the support of its world-class faculty and dedicated administrative and technical support staff. WIV is determined to become one of the world’s leading institutions in virological and microbiological research, a training base for scholars in the field, and a powerful engine of biotech transfer by the year 2020. In close combination with "demonstration action" planning, we shall focus on promotion of scientific innovation ability and constantly promote the implementation of "135" planning of the institute to better serve the innovation-driven development.