title: Study of the replication mechanisms of the RNA and DNA viruses and development of new methods for gene therapy and gene vaccination.
reg no: SF0182566As03
project type: targeted financing
subject: 1.6-1.9. Chemistry and Molecular Biology
2. Engineering
3. Medical Sciences
status: accepted
institution: University of Tartu
head of project: Mart Ustav
duration: 01.01.2003 - 31.12.2007
description: The research program is comprised of two parts and will be carried out in the premises of three research organisations: a) Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Univ. of Tartu, Estonian Biocentre and Institute of Technology, Univ. of Tartu. The PI of the program and Head of the A subprogram is prof. Mart Ustav, while subprogram B is led by Dr. Andres Merits. We plan to study: 1) the replication mechanisms of papillomaviruses during the initial amplification, latent replication and vegetative replication phases. Specific effort will be made for the basic studies of the mechanisms assuring proper segregation and partitioning of the viral episomes in the dividing cells and mechanisms driving the vegetative replication. 2) Sup-program B will concentrate on the Hepatitis C virus and Semliki Forest virus. The specific aims of the project are: a) analysis of the structure and formation of the replication complexes; b) study of interactions between viral proteins; c) mechanisms of regulation of life cycle; d) virus-host interactions; e) to reconstitute the in vitro replication system and to study the replication complexes participating in the HCV replication. We shall use the modern methods of Molecular Biology and Virology in our work. In the process of research many graduate students of M.Sci and Ph.D level will participate. Although major attention will be on the basic research, we specifically work for use of the results of research for development of new methods for gene therapy and gene vaccination. Specific attention will be paid for the development of new type of expression vectors, which could be used for induction of specific immune response through transient expression of antigen of interest as well for long term stable expression of therapeutic genes in the gene therapy programs.

project group
no name institution position  
1.Kärt DenksTÜMRImagistrant 
2.Helena FaustTÜMRImagistrant 
3.Kristi FomatskinaTÜMRIlaborant 
4.Jelizaveta GeimanenTÜMRImagistrant 
5.Galina HalusTÜMRIlaborant 
6.Ivar IlvesTÜMRIteadur 
7.Nele JaansonTÜMRIteadur 
8.Kadri JaniksonTÜMRImagistrant 
9.Meelis KadajaTÜMRIdoktorant 
10.Anne KallingTÜMRIv.laborant 
11.Kaja KiiverTÜMRIdoktorant 
12.Ann KilkTÜMRIdotsent 
13.Anri KivilTÜMRImagistrant 
14.Aleksei LullaTÜMRIdoktorant 
15.Andres MeritsTÜMRIerak.professor 
16.Kristina MäemetsTÜMRImagistrant 
17.Andrei NikonovTÜMRImagistrant 
18.Mari OjarandTÜMRImagistrant 
19.Merike PetuhovTÜMRIv.laborant 
20.Eve SankovskiTÜMRIteadur 
21.Kristiina SildTÜMRImagistrant 
22.Toomas SillaTÜMRIdoktorant 
23.Valeria SizemskajaTÜMRIdoktorant 
24.Alina SumerinaTÜMRImagistrant 
25.Siim SõberTÜMRImagistrant 
26.Eva ŽusinaiteTÜMRIteadur 
27.Ingrid TagenTÜMRImagistrant 
28.Kairit TintsTÜMRImagistrant 
29.Mart UstavUniversity of Tartuprofessor