What Do Viruses Do And How Do We Control Them

Course Overview

This course describes how viruses interact with their hosts to infect, replicate, spread and cause disease. It looks at what controls the specificity of viruses for different host species and for different tissues within a host, also how this can lead to outbreaks and pandemics. It seeks to show how virus evolution is driven by the pressures to replicate and spread. Finally, it looks at how we can find antivirals and use them to control infections, distinguishing therapeutic approaches to prophylaxis by vaccination. On successful completion of the course, learners will be able to: 1. Identify key interfaces of virus: host interaction 2. Verify how transmission drives virus pathogenesis and shapes virus evolution 3. Demonstrate an understanding of how virus control with anti-virals differs from protection with vaccines. This is an intermediate series of courses intended for both clinical and non-clinical scientists who want to update their skills for work in clinical, academic, and pharmaceutical/bioscience industries, and is developed and delivered by experts working on viruses and novel vaccines. To be successful in this series of courses, you should have basic knowledge in biology, genetics, microbiology or related fields.