Prof. Dr. E.J. (Eric) Snijder

I am a molecular biologist studying the replication, evolution and virus-host interactions of positive-stranded RNA viruses, in particular coronaviruses and their relatives (a.k.a. nidoviruses). In 1991, I graduated from Utrecht University with a cum laude PhD in virology and joined the LUMC Department of Medical Microbiology. In 2000, I received the LUMC C.J. Kok prize for my continued work on +RNA virus replication. I have (co)supervised about 40 PhD students and was appointed Professor of Molecular Virology in 2007. My research was/is supported by grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the European Union. I have published over 250 scientific papers and book chapters (h-index: 84) and am/was Editor/Editorial Board member for several virological journals. At LUMC, I am board member of the Research Theme Infection, (co)coordinate MSc/PhD courses in Molecular Virology and Infection & Immunity, and am involved in various other teaching activities.

Viruses are specialized in abusing the host cell’s infrastructure and metabolism for the benefit of their own replication. Basic knowledge regarding virus replication and evolution is needed to develop novel antiviral strategies, which will be essential to prepare ourselves for future virus outbreaks. With my team, I have studied coronaviruses and other nidoviruses for over 35 years, to dissect their replication cycle and virus-host interactions, and to reconstruct and better understand their evolutionary history. Given the emergence of several (potentially) lethal coronaviruses over the past two decades (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2), the characterization of coronavirus drug targets and antiviral drug development have become additional research themes, involving collaborative studies performed within a series of European research consortia.