How giant viruses have shaped the evolution of plants, animals, and algae
Official title: Coevolutionary Dynamics and Gene Exchange Between Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses and Eukaryotes
Funded at Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ · NIH-11400059 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A scientist-led project will study giant DNA viruses that infect algae and other eukaryotes to understand how these viruses and their hosts have influenced each other over millions of years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Blacksburg, United States) |
| Project start | August 16, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $365,690 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM147290-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400059 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; findings may influence broad biological insights that could impact health sciences in the long term.
✕Less likely to help
There is no immediate patient-level benefit or participation in this basic science project.
What this research studies
This project explores the co-evolution between large DNA viruses and eukaryotic hosts like algae and animals, focusing on how viral genes mimic host functions and how viruses and hosts have exchanged genetic material over time. Researchers will examine viral gene content related to metabolism, cell structure, and immune-like processes to map historical interactions. The work uses comparative genomics and evolutionary analyses to reveal how ancient viral elements are embedded in host genomes and what that means for biology today.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: By uncovering how giant viruses shaped host biology, this research could enhance our understanding of cellular evolution and inform future studies on virus-host interactions.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown extensive ancient virus-host gene exchange and endogenized viral elements across diverse organisms, supporting the plausibility of these investigations.
Where this research is happening
-
Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
Blacksburg, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aylward, Frank O'neill — Virginia Polytechnic Inst and St Univ
- Study coordinator: Aylward, Frank O'neill
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.