New Insights into Parvovirus Research

Book excerpt: Viruses in the Parvoviridae family constitute one of the most diverse and intriguing fields of research. While they all share an ssDNA genome and a small capsid, they can differ widely in structure, genome organization and expression, virus–cell interaction, and impact on the host. Exploring such diversity and unraveling the inherent complexity in these apparently simple viruses is an ongoing endeavor and commitment for the scientific community. The translational implications of research on parvoviruses are relevant. Within the family, some viruses are important human and veterinary pathogens, in need of diagnostic methods and antiviral strategies; other viruses have long been studied and engineered as tools for oncolytic therapy, or as sophisticated gene delivery vectors, and can now display their wide and expanding applicative potential. This Special Issue of Viruses collects recent contributions in the field of parvovirus research, with a focus on new insights and research on unresolved issues, as well as new approaches exploiting systemic methodologies. Evolution, structural biology, viral replication, virus–host interaction, pathogenesis and immunity, and viral oncotherapy are a selection of the topics addressed in the issue that can be of relevance to the community involved in parvovirus research and of interest to a wider audience.