Translational Research - Université de Genève

Virology
Laurent Kaiser
Department of Internal Medicine Specialties
Laurent Kaiser obtained his Medical Degree in Geneva in 1987 and a medical
thesis in 1996. He completed a full training in Internal Medicine and a board
certification in Infectious Diseases in 1999 and in clinical microbiology in
2006. He spent two years as a research associate at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, USA. He has been appointed associate professor at the
Faculty of Medicine in 2006 and is Director of the Laboratory of Virology at the Geneva
University Hospitals.
Clinical virology
Based within the HUG, the laboratory performs more than 140,000 diagnostic procedures
annually. It runs a complete panel of virological tests adapted to a large university centre caring
for immunocompromised patients and transplant recipients, including serology, antigen
detection, automated and non-automated molecular assays, viral sequencing and virus culture.
The goal of the team is to integrate the activities of a routine laboratory with clinical
developments, new diagnostic assays, and basic research in the field of virology.
Reference centers: influenza and emerging viral diseases
The laboratory integrates and supports two National Reference Centres funded by the Swiss
Federal Office of Public Health. This team conducts influenza surveillance in Switzerland and
provides basic diagnostic capabilities for unusual and rare viral diseases. This includes
potentially dangerous agents as well as more common viruses that are not part of routine
diagnostic procedures in most laboratories.
Clinical research: respiratory viruses
The clinical research conducted by the group aims to investigate the clinical impact and
epidemiology of respiratory viruses by using appropriate molecular assays. In particular,
investigations have focused on the impact of respiratory viruses in immunocompromised hosts
and European or African children. Close collaboration with the basic research group allows the
investigation of unusual clinical observations in the field of clinical virology and promotes
translational projects.
Acute HIV infection and resistance
This group (Sabine Yerly) has built recognised expertise in the field of HIV diagnostics, acute
HIV infection and molecular epidemiology of HIV transmission. The group acts also as a
reference centre for the study of HIV resistance-associated mutations and the interpretation
of new resistance patterns. This activity has the advantage of being immediately beneficial to
the clinician in charge of managing complex antiretroviral regimens.
38 Université de Genève • Faculté de médecine
Cordey S, Petty TJ, Schibler M, Martinez Y, Gerlach D, Van Belle S, Turin L, Zdobnov E, Kaiser L,
Tapparel C (2012) identification of site-specific adaptations conferring increased neural cell
tropism during human enterovirus 71 infection. PloS Pathogens. [Epub ahead of print]
Tapparel C, Cordey S, Junier Th, Farinelli L, Van Belle S, Soccal PM, Aubert JD, Zdobnov E, Kaiser
L (2011). Rhinovirus Genome Variation during Chronic Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract
Infections. PLoS ONE 6: e21163.
Soccal PM, Aubert JD, Bridevaux PO, Garbino J, Thomas Y, Rochat T, Rochat TS, Meylan P, Tapparel
C, Kaiser L (2010) Upper and lower respiratory viral infections and acute graft rejection in
lung transplant recipients. Clin Infect Dis 51: 163-170.
Cordey S, Junier T, Gerlach D, Gobbini F, Farinelli L, Zdobnov E, Winther B, Tapparel C, Kaiser L
(2010) Rhinovirus Genome Evolution during Experimental Human Infection. PloS One
5 :e10588- e10588.
Yerly S, Junier T, Gayet-Ageron A, Amari EB, von Wyl V, Günthard HV, Hirschel B, Zdobnov E, Kaiser
L (2009) The impact of transmission clusters on primary drug resistance in newly diagnosed
HIV-1 infection. Swiss HIV Cohort Study, AIDS 23 : 1415-23.
Tapparel C, Junier T, Gerlach D, Van Belle S, Turin L, Cordey S, Mühlemann K, Regamey N, Aubert
JD, Soccal PM, Eigenmann P, Zdobnov E and Kaiser L (2009) New respiratory enterovirus and
recombinant rhinoviruses among circulating picornaviruses. Emerg Infect Dis. 15: 719-26.
Garbino J, Soccal PM, Aubert JD, Rochat T, Meylan P, Thomas Y, Tapparel C, Bridevaux PO, Kaiser
L (2009) Respiratory viruses in bronchoalveolar lavage: a hospital-based cohort study in
adults. Thorax, vol 64: 399-404.
Contact: Laurent.Kaiser@hcuge.ch
Virology
Université de Genève • Faculté de médecine
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