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Welcome to RegaVir
REFERENCE AND SERVICE CENTER
Translational Research Project Initially founded by the Belgium National Cancer Plan
Reference and Service Center named RegaVir (Research Group for Antiviral Resistance) for the diagnosis and typing of drug-resistant herpesviruses in immunocompromised hosts has been established thanks to the funding received by the Belgian National Cancer Plan, an initiative of Madam L. Onkelinx as Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs. We are grateful to the Federal Public Service “PUBLIC HEALTH, FOOD CHAIN SAFETY and ENVIRONMENT” for the action 29 of the National Cancer Plan that supported RegaVir from January 2009 until December 2011.
Clinical Impact
Herpesviruses are recognized as a health problem for immunocompromised hosts, including cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or solid organ transplantation (SOT), and in individuals with AIDS. Herpesviruses remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in this group of patients.
Prolonged treatment with antiviral agents is necessary to prevent or to manage herpesvirus-associated diseases in the immunocompromised population. This prolonged treatment may result in the selection of viral strains with decreased drug susceptibility.
The Rega Institute has not only contributed to the development of antivirals against herpesviruses, but recently also developed the technology to characterize virus mutants with resistance against all commonly used chemotherapeutics.
Our purpose is to provide clinicians with a rapid genotyping and/or phenotyping of clinical isolates of human cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) isolated in severe illnesses in immunocompromised hosts that fail antiviral therapy. Interpretation of the phenotyping and of gene mutations associated with antiviral resistance, as well as advice for treatment options, is made available to the clinicians in a report form.
We provide a solid (inter)national (vide infra) science-based translational research centre to improve chemotherapy of herpesviruses in different categories of cancer patients and other immunocompromised patients.
