Researchers at a Scots university have been handed over £1million in funding to study the world's oldest known family of viruses - which includes diseases like polio, foot-and-mouth and the common cold.
The Picornavirus Group - based at St Andrews University's Biomolecular Sciences Research Complex - is is dedicated to the study of the Picornaviridae family of viruses which includes many illnesses that affect humans and animal.
This funding has been awarded by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in recognition of the progress already made by the group in identifying virus protein sequences and developing them for use in biomedicine and biotechnology.
Such proteins have already allowed major advances in human gene therapies and the production of stem cells.
The scientists will use the cash to further advance their work.
Professor Martin Ryan, who leads the group, said: "Understanding how viruses multiply within cells enables development of new strategies to control virus infections.
"In the course of this work, we have learnt one of the major 'tricks' used by these viruses and have adapted this for use in biomedicine and biotechnology.
"This research funding will allow us to extend the applications for human gene therapies and other biotechnologies."
