RNA Viruses: From Molecular Mechanisms to Novel Therapeutic Targeting Strategies

RNA viruses pose significant challenges to public health due to their high mutation rates and diverse mechanisms of infection which allow them to rapidly adapt to new hosts and evade therapeutic strategies. The continuous emergence and re-emergence of RNA viruses pose significant challenges. Current research has shed light on how these pathogens hijack host cellular machinery, yet much remains unknown about the specific pathways and interactions involved. This gap in knowledge highlights an urgent need for a deeper understanding that could drive the development of more effective antiviral drugs and vaccines.

This Research Topic aims to explore the comparative genetics and functional dynamics of RNA viruses, focusing on their structure and genetic diversity, to also investigate the complex biological interactions at play during RNA virus infections and to explore innovative therapeutic approaches that can inhibit these viruses at various stages of their life cycles. Through this research, we seek to identify novel target sites for intervention, understand resistance mechanisms, and ultimately contribute to the creation of more robust and adaptable antiviral strategies.

To gather further insights in this field, we welcome Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Opinions, and Perspective articles addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

• Molecular mechanisms of RNA virus entry, translation and replication.
• Structural analysis and comparative genomics of RNA viruses.
• Host-virus interactions and their implications for pathogenicity.
• Insights into the mutation rates and patterns of evolution in RNA viruses
• Advances in antiviral drug development and delivery systems.
• Genetic and molecular bases for virus resistance to current therapies, implications on vaccine development and viral targeting
• Use of novel technologies, such as CRISPR, for RNA virus research and treatment.

This topic will focus on expanding the current understanding of RNA virus biology and how this can be exploited to develop effective therapeutic interventions. Insights from across a spectrum of disciplines including virology, molecular biology, genetic engineering, and pharmacology are encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Viral RNA, Retrovirus, Double-stranded RNA viruses, Single-stranded RNA viruses, coronavirus, flavivirus

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.