Joan Manuel Amaya Cuesta

Rabies is a fatal encephalitis that causes thousands of deaths every year in endemic countries. One of biology’s most intriguing unanswered questions is the host restriction of lyssaviruses, the viral genus responsible for rabies. To tackle this, I’m applying artificial intelligence to analyse and elucidate the genetic fingerprints of lyssaviruses, aiming to uncover the mechanisms behind their host specificity.

As part of this project, I’m generating unique datasets from infected cell cultures and tissues, providing unprecedented insights into viral behaviour. Beyond advancing our understanding of lyssavirus biology, this work has the critical real-world application of combating rabies, which remains a major public health concern in endemic countries.

By bridging AI and virology, this project seeks to contribute to both scientific discovery and global health efforts.