All those applying to attend this course will be registered and will receive the Zoom link to connect the day before the course.

Overview

ViralZone is a SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics web resource for all viral genera and families. It provides molecular biology information on all kind of viruses, and bridges knowledge to virus or sequence databases. For each virus or family page, ViralZone provides easy access to the corresponding UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot and GenBank viral protein entries. It also contains virion and genome images.

Arboviruses are viruses transmitted to humans primarily through the bite of infected arthropods like mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies. They are a diverse group of viruses that can cause various diseases, such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and West Nile fever. While most arboviruses are not transmitted person-to-person, some, like dengue and yellow fever, can spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, and mother-to-child transmission.

This 0.5-day course is taught by the developer of ViralZone. In this course, an introduction to the genomics, evolution and surveillance of arboviruses based on the information found in ViralZone will be provided.

Audience

This course is designed for PhD students, postdoctoral and other researchers in the life sciences from both academia and industry who are interested in virology and public health.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the participants are expected to:
* Identify the main arboviruses that cause human disease.

* Find and interpret information on the genomic features of arboviruses.
* Explain the evolutionary history and diversity of arboviruses.
* Describe the methods used to detect arboviruses in humans and insect vectors, including metagenomic approaches.

Prerequisites

Knowledge / competencies

This course is designed for beginners. No bioinformatics competencies are required. However, knowledge of basic molecular biology is required.

Technical

You are required to have your own computer with an Internet connection. All the suggested resources are available without you having to install or code anything.

Application

All those applying to attend this course will be registered and will receive the Zoom link to connect the day before the course. Applications will close on 27/02/2026.

Please note that participation in SIB courses is subject to our general conditions.

Venue and Time

This course will be streamed using Zoom. It will start at 14:00 CET (08:00 EST) and end around 18:00 CET (12:00 EST).

All registered participants will receive the information for remotely connecting to the online meeting room by email one working day before the course.

Additional information

Coordination: Monique Zahn, SIB Training group.

You are welcome to register to the SIB courses mailing list to be informed of all future courses and workshops, as well as all important deadlines using the form here.

Please note that participation in SIB courses is subject to our general conditions.

SIB abides by the ELIXIR Code of Conduct. Participants of SIB courses are also required to abide by the same code.

For more information, please contact training@sib.swiss.