Research interests are in molecular microbiology, with a specific focus on the molecular mechanisms of fungal resistance. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a rapidly fatal disease in immunocompromised patients with a mortality rate as high as 85%. Prognosis is directly associated with timely diagnosis and prompt appropriate antifungal therapy. Triazoles are now used for primary therapy in many centers around the world. We have observed a rapid emergence of multiple-triazole-resistance (MTR) in Aspergillus fumigates. Current projects aim at solving the molecular mechanisms involved in fungal resistance against antifungal compounds. His interests also include novel interdisciplinary approaches where molecular biology and genetics are tightly coupled with (bio)physical/informatics methods aimed at understanding the biological function of at a molecular level.
He is also interested in the molecular aspects of picornavirus replication and pathogenesis, especially the unraveling of structure-function relationships of RNA entities essential for virus replication. Another line of his research is the relationship between HPV infections and the development of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer accounts for 10% of all cancer related deaths in women. Each year 470,000 women are worldwide diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer, and 230,000 women die because of this disease. Studies have clearly demonstrated that infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) is a necessary cause for the development of cervical cancer. The infection, however, is widespread and current studies of him are focusing on the secondary factors related to progression from subclinical infection to invasive cervical cancer.