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Medical Microbiology
Radboud University
PO Box 9101
6500 HB Nijmegen
The Netherlands
T: +31 24 3617574
F: +31 24 3614666

Frank van Kuppeveld is an associate professor and heads the Experimental Virology research group. He was awarded an NWO-VIDI grant in 2003 and the "Beijerink premie" (an award from the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences) in 2004 for his outstanding research in Molecular Virology. He is coordinator of EUVIRNA, a Marie Curie Initial Training Network on (+)strand RNA virus replication and antiviral drug development (expected to start in 2011).
Dr. Frank van Kuppeveld

Research focuses on Picornaviruses, a large family of important human and animal pathogens that includes the enteroviruses (e.g. poliovirus, coxsackievirus, rhinovirus) cardioviruses (e.g. EMCV, Theiler’s virus, Saffold virus), and aphthoviruses (e.g. FMDV).

Current projects aims to better understand the molecular mechanisms of (i) virus replication: role of viral proteins; hijacking of cellular pathways; modification of cellular membranes for replication?, (ii) viral immune evasion strategies: how do cellular RNA sensors sense viral infection, and how do viruses evade signaling by these sensors to suppress infection-limiting host responses?, (iii) viral pathogenesis: role of enteroviruses in type 1 diabetes, and role of Saffold virus in disease; and (iv) antiviral drugs: identification and characterization of compounds with antiviral activity.

Furthermore, new initiatives have been started to study replication and immune evasion of Dengue virus, a member of the Flavivirus family, and to study how this virus causes hemorrhagic fever.
 
Recent key publications

Hsu N, Ilnytska O, Belov G, Santiana M, Chen Y, Takvorian P, Pau C, van der Schaar H, Kaushik-Basu N, Balla T, Cameron C, Ehrenfeld E, van Kuppeveld F, Altan-Bonnet N. 2010. Viruses reorganize secretory pathway to form organelles with specific lipid microenvironment for RNA replication. Cell 141:799-811.

Schulte B, Kramer M, Ansems M, Lanke K, van Doremalen N, Piganelli J, Bottino R, Trucco M, Galama J, Adema G, van Kuppeveld F. 2010. Phagocytosis of enterovirus-infected pancreatic beta cells triggers innate immune responses in human dendritic cells. Diabetes DOI: 10.237/db09-1071.  

Zoll J, Erkens-Hulshof S, Lanke K, Verduyn Lunel F, Melchers W, Schoondermark-van de Ven E, Roivainen M, Galama J, van Kuppeveld F. 2009. Saffold virus, a human Theiler’s-like cardiovirus, is ubiquitous and causes infection early in life. PLoS Pathog e1000416.

Hato S, Ricour C, Schulte B, de Bruijni M, Zoll J, Melchers W, Michiels T, van Kuppeveld F. 2008. The Mengovirus Leader Protein Blocks Interferon- α/β Gene Transcription and Inhibits Activation of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3. Cell Microbiol 9:2921-2930.

Wessels E, Duijsings D, Niu T, Neumann S, Oorschot V, de Lange F, Lanke K, Klumperman J, Henke A, Jackson C, Melchers W, van Kuppeveld F. 2006. A viral protein that blocks Arf1-mediated COP-I assembly by inhibiting the guanine nucleotide exchange factor GBF1.Dev Cell 11:191-201.