Laboratory of Arbovirology (Martin Palus)
We are a virology laboratory dealing with emerging 
and re-emerging viral infections.
The main topic of the laboratory is viruses transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes and other blood-sucking arthropods (parasites). Arbovirus is a virus transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods (arthropod borne virus). Our main topic include tick-borne encephalitis virus, but we also work with other more or less related viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.
Members of the laboratory teach at universities, especially at Faculty of Science USB and MUNI. We supervise student research projects/theses as part of our research projects.
We accept new students in bachelor, master and PhD programmes. Stop by or email us at: palus@paru.cas.cz or honig@paru.cas.cz
Applications from highly motivated individuals are accepted on rolling bases.
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The research activities of the laboratory are closely associated with the Department of Virology of the Veterinary Research Institute and with Department of Experimental Biology MUNI in Brno.
| Selected publications: |
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Bianchini F., Crivelli V., Abernathy M.E., Guerra C.,
Palus M., Muri J., Marcotte H., Piralla A., Pedotti M. , de Gasparo R., Simonelli L., Matkovic M., Toscano C., Biggiogero M., Calvaruso V.,
Svoboda P., Cervantes Rincón T., Fava T., Podešvová L., Shanbhag A.A., Celoria A., Sgrignani J., Štefánik M.,
Hönig V.,
Prančlová V., Michalcikova T., Procházka J., Guerrini G., Mehn D., Ciabattini A., Abolhassani H., Jarrossay D., Uguccioni M., Medaglini D., Pan-Hammarström Q., Calzolai L., Fernandez D. , Baldanti F., Franzetti-Pellanda A., Garzoni C., Sedlacek R.,
Růžek D., Varani L., Cavalli A., Barnes C.O., Robbiani D.F. (2023) Human neutralizing antibodies to cold linear epitopes and subdomain 1 of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein Science Immunology
8: eade0958. DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ade0958 |
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de Gasparo R., Pedotti M., Simonelli L., Nickl P., Mueckschh F., Cassaniti I., Percivalle E., Lorenzi J.C.C., Mazzola F., Magrì D., Michalcikova T.,
Haviernik J.,
Hönig V., Mrazkova B., Polakova N., Fortova A., Tureckova J., Iatsiuk V., Di Girolamoa S.,
Palus M., Zudova D., Bednar P., Bukova I., Bianchini F., Mehni D., Nencka R.,
Straková P., Pavlis O., Rozman J., Gioria S., Sammartino J.C., Giardina F., Gaiarsak S., Hammarström Q.P., Barnes C.O., Bjorkmann P.J., Calzola L., Piralla A., Baldanti F., Nussenzweig M.C., Bieniasz P.D., Hatziioannouh T., Procházka J., Sedlacek R., Robbiani D.F.,
Růžek D., Varani L. (2021) Bispecific antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 variants, protects mice from disease and prevents escape Nature
593: 424–428. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03461-y |
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Agudelo M.,
Palus M., Keeffe J., Bianchini F., Svoboda P.,
Salát J., Peace A., Gazumyan A., Cipolla M., Kapoor T., Guidetti F., Yao K.H.,
Elsterová J., Teislerová D., Chrdle A.,
Hönig V., Oliveira T., West A.P., Lee Y.E., Rice C.M., MacDonald M.R., Bjorkman P.J.,
Růžek D., Robbiani D.F., Nussenzweig M.C. (2021) Broad and potent neutralizing human antibodies to tick-borne flaviviruses protect mice from disease. Journal of Experimental Medicine
218: e20210236. DOI: 10.1084/jem.20210236 |
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Migné C.V.,
Hönig V., Bonnet S.I.,
Palus M., Rakotobe S., Galon C., Heckmann A.,
Výletová E., Devillers E., Attoui H.,
Růžek D., Moutailler S. (2022) Evaluation of two artificial infection methods of live ticks as tools for studying interactions between tick-borne viruses and their tick vectors Scientific Reports
12: 491. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04498-9 |
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Fořtová A.,
Hönig V.,
Palus M.,
Salát J., Pýchová M., Krbková L.,
Vyhlídalová T., Kříha M.F., Chrdle A.,
Růžek D. (2022) Serum and cerebrospinal fluid phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit as a marker of neuroaxonal damage in tick-borne encephalitis Journal of General Virology
103: 1743. DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001743 |
Research projects
Neutralizing nanobodies as potential therapeutics for tick-borne encephalitis
(Czech Health Research Council, 2022-2025, Co-PI Martin Palus)
Pathogesis and therapy of emerging viral diseases
(The National Institute for Virology nad Bacteriology, 2022-2025, coordinator for BC: Daniel Růžek)
Molecular pathogenesis of alimentary infection by tick-borne encephalitis virus
(Czech Science Foundation, 2023-2025, Co-P.I. Jiří Salát)
Tick-borne diseases in urban environments - where does the real danger lurk?
(Czech Health Research Council, 2023-2026, P.I.: Václav Hönig)
Neuropathogenesis linked to NS1 protein of tick-borne encephalitis virus
(Czech Science Foundation, 2023-2025, P.I. Martin Palus)
Human Antibodies to Tick-borne Flaviviruses
(Czech Science Foundation and Swiss National Science Foundation, international co-operation project Czech Republic- Switzerland, 2021-2023, P.I. Daniel Růžek)
