Who are the ViroiDoc Network partners?

ViroidDoc is a consortium of leading EU research laboratories and academic partners from Argentina and the USA. 

ViroiDoc Beneficiaries

The consortium brings together nine beneficiaries, each of whom contributes unique expertise in molecular biology, biotechnology, genetics, and bioinformatics. They share a vision of viroid diagnosis and plant disease control.

The University of Ljubljana (UL) in Slovenia is the project coordinator. The Chair of Genetics, Biotechnology, Statistics, and Plant Breeding at the UL Biotechnical Faculty (BF) is exploring plant genetic resources and using advanced molecular tools to study biotic stress responses and host-pathogen interactions. They are driving innovative solutions in agriculture with genome editing techniques.

The National Research Council (CNR-IPSP) in Italy is working to identify resistance and adaptation mechanisms to improve the health of plants used in agriculture and forestry. The CNR has over 20 years' experience of researching plant-associated viroids and viroid-like RNAs.

The Institut de biologie moléculaire des plantes (IBMP) at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France is a world leader in plant virology and cell-to-cell movement. They are currently working on developing dsRNA-containing formulations for protecting plants against viruses.

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC - IBMCP) in Spain aims to understand the interaction between plants and some of their pathogens, such as viruses and viroids. They are also taking this a step further by exploiting the remarkable biological properties of plant viruses and viroids to transform them into useful biotechnological tools.

The activities at the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing (IHPS) conducts research focusing on diagnostics, epidemiology studies, plant-pathogen interactions, and disease management. The IHPS places particular emphasis on fungal pathogens, oomycetes, viruses, and viroids.

The National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) in Slovenia is a leading institution in fundamental studies and the development of analytical tools, sensors and approaches in the interconnected fields of electrochemical (bio)sensing, (bio)imaging, atmospheric chemistry and food chemistry. One of their missions is the development of biosensors for viroid detection.

The Plant Molecular Biology laboratory (IMBB) at the University of Crete (UoC) in Greece lab has a well-established focus on viroid research. The lab´s goal is to understand the mechanisms of RNA silencing phenomena and their role in the plant´s response to viral and viroid infections, with potential applications in plant defense.

The Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology at the Valencia Polytechnic University (UPV) in Spain integrates molecular biology, genetics, biochemical approaches, and expertise in metabolomics to study plant-pathogen interactions, signaling pathways, and defense mechanisms. The institute´s research aims to improve plant resistance and enhance agricultural productivity.

At the University of Regensburg (UREG) in Germany, the Department of Cell Biology and Plant Biochemistry studies how regulatory non-coding and coding RNAs can be used as 'sprayable RNAs' to enhance the agricultural value of crops. Their research spans from single molecules to intact cells, tissues and various living organisms, and uses a variety of modern technologies.

ViroiDoc Associated Partners

ViroiDoc beneficiaries research will be supported by a strong network of collaborators, including associated partners from leading research laboratories across the EU, two academic institutions from Argentina and the USA, and five industry partners active in areas such as plant breeding, plant pathogen diagnostics, plant protection, and consulting. The network also includes a university incubator that offers entrepreneurial mentoring and support.

List of associated partners:

• AbioPep (AP), Spain
• Accelopment Swiss (accelCH), Switzerland
• Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Czechia
• Bioreba, Switzerland
• Elsner pac, Germany
• Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Spain
• Innosil, Poland
• Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia
• Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI), Slovenia
• National University of La Plata (UNLP), Argentina
• University of Bari (UniBa), Italy
• University of Strasbourg (UDS), France
• University of Florida (UF), Dept. of Plant Pathology, United States of America

Photos by ©BF, CNR, CNRS -IBMP, NIC, UPV.