LIV Scientific Retreat 2025: Exploring Viruses, Immunity and Innovation

On Tuesday, 9 September, the LIV Scientific Retreat brought together researchers from across disciplines to share cutting-edge findings on viruses, immunity, and the technologies driving discovery. The event unfolded in four sessions, weaving together basic science, cultural perspectives, and forward-looking discussions on data, biosafety, and translation.

The day began with an overview of the LIV strategy in science, setting the stage for a series of research updates from the institute research units. Presentations highlighted how viruses interact with their hosts at the molecular level: from the role of HMGB1 proteins in adenovirus replication, to the influence of long non-coding RNAs on immune responses. Researchers also explored the diverse strategies used by viruses like flaviviruses to hijack host factors, and how avian influenza reshapes hormone production in infected animals. A final morning talk showed how HIV-1 integrates into specific host genes to modulate immunity during chronic infection.

After a short coffee break, the focus shifted to culture and responsibility in research. Talks and discussions on “gain of function” experiments and dual-use research underscored the need to balance scientific curiosity with safety and ethical considerations.

Following lunch, attendees explored a poster session where early-career scientists and established researchers alike showcased new ideas, data, and techniques. The session provided a more interactive format for feedback, networking, and collaboration.

The third session returned to technical science, opening with an overview of next-generation sequencing capabilities. Presentations then ranged from the genetic diversity of cancer-associated viruses to evaluations of protein-structure prediction tools like AlphaFold. Other talks investigated immune cell metabolism in people living with HIV, and highlighted the role of computational approaches in managing complex biological datasets.

The final session emphasized translation - the pathway from discovery to impact. After an overview of the PROVIREX program, researchers discussed how cytomegalovirus proteins manipulate immune responses, how cutting-edge imaging techniques reveal vaccinia virus assembly, and how computational tools may help prioritize defective viral genomes for antiviral therapy development.

The LIV Retreat was also an opportunity for recognising colleagues for their outstanding contributions. The following awards and recognitions were given:

PhD Best Author Award 2024: Konstantin von Stromberg (Dobner Department – “Virus Transformation“)
The human adenovirus E1B-55K oncoprotein coordinates cell transformation through regulation of DNA-bound host transcription factors (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.).

Postdoc Best Author Award 2024: Guendalina Marini (Topf Department - “Integrative Virology”)
Structural journey of an insecticidal protein against western corn rootworm (Nature  Communications).

PhD Best Author Award 2025: Yingqi Deng (Brune Department - “Virus-Host-Interaction”)
A cytomegalovirus inflammasome inhibitor reduces proinflammatory cytokine release and pyroptosis (Nature Communications).

Postdoc Best Author Award 2025: Vojtěch Pražák (Grünewald Department – “Structural Cell Biology of Viruses”) 
Molecular plasticity of herpesvirus nuclear egress analysed in situ (Nature Microbiology).

LIV Retreat Best Talks: Jule Russow and Luca Genz

LIV Retreat Best Poster: Hendrik Jahnz.

Im Verlauf des Tages wurde deutlich: Viren zu verstehen erfordert weit mehr als molekularbiologische Expertise. Notwendig ist ein Zusammenspiel von Wissenschaft, Ethik, Kultur und Technologie. Das LIV Retreat verdeutlichte sowohl die Herausforderungen als auch die Chancen, die in der interdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit auf dem Weg zur Bekämpfung viraler Erkrankungen liegen.