Nationality:

Austrian

Position:

Assistant Professor, Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

Research Fields: 

Neuropathogenesis of respiratory viruses, Virus replication, stem cells, organoids, Picornaviruses, Enteroviruses, Influenza A viruses, SARS-CoV-2, Monkeypox virus

Short description:

Lisa is Assistant Professor at the Department of Viroscience at the Erasmus MC. Lisa obtained her PhD in February 2021 in the group of Frank van Kuppeveld at Utrecht University, Netherlands within the European Marie Curie Training Network “Antivirals” where she characterized FDA- approved drugs that inhibit enterovirus replication and developed novel broad-spectrum antientero/rhinovirus compounds. In March 2020, Lisa joined the team of Debby van Riel as a post-doc at the Viroscience Department of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where she studied how respiratory viruses spread to extra-respiratory tissues. Her independent research line aims to unravel the complex interplay between viruses and the central nervous system (CNS), focusing on how viruses from various families differentially affect cells of the CNS, trigger neuroinflammation, and disrupt the CNS homeostasis. Her investigation centres on three interconnected questions: (1) how viral infections modulate cellular, immunological, and metabolic responses within neural cells and tissue; (2) viral dissemination pathways within the CNS; and (3) identification of host factors facilitating neuropathogenesis. She employs human induced pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neural cultures, brain organoids, and organotypic brain slices as experimental models. This platform enabled her to advance our understanding of neuropathological mechanisms in emerging viruses including SARS-CoV-2, MPOX virus, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1, and enteroviruses.