NWO M-1 grant for Wouter Roos

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded M-1 grants in the Exact and Natural Sciences domain to Prof. Wouter Roos . Roos will receive EUR 375,000 for research on how a virus assembles itself.

M-grants are intended for innovative and high-quality research with scientific urgency. An M-1 grant is awarded to projects led by a single researcher.

Unraveling building blocks viruses

Prof. Roos and his research group will study particle by particle how a virus is formed, also known as viral self-assembly. Much is still unknown about the course of this process. By using an advanced probe microscope - of which there are only a few in the Netherlands - to follow this process live, the group wants to unravel how the building blocks of viruses are glued together so efficiently. In addition to new fundamental knowledge about how viruses are put together, this will also provide clues for developing new antiviral drugs that block virus assembly.