MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research introduces Viro3D to accelerate vaccine and antiviral development

MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research introduces Viro3D to accelerate vaccine and antiviral development

(IN BRIEF) A research team at the MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research has launched Viro3D, the world’s most extensive AI-powered database of virus protein structure predictions. Containing 85,000 protein models from 4,400 human and animal viruses, Viro3D expands knowledge of viral proteins thirtyfold and provides a powerful free resource for the scientific community. Led by Dr Joe Grove, the project aims to accelerate the development of antivirals and vaccines for both long-standing pathogens such as HIV and COVID-19 and newly emerging threats. Already, Viro3D has uncovered evidence that a key SARS-CoV-2 protein may have originated from a herpesvirus ancestor, underscoring the platform’s potential to transform understanding of viral evolution. Unlike previous general protein structure databases, Viro3D focuses specifically on viruses, filling a critical gap in global research. The study was published in Molecular Systems Biology and supported by Wellcome, the MRC, and the Medical Research Foundation.

(PRESS RELEASE) GLASGOW, 26-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Researchers at the MRC–University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research have unveiled Viro3D, a groundbreaking database that offers the most extensive collection of human and animal virus protein structure predictions ever created. Harnessing artificial intelligence, the new platform delivers high-quality structural models for 85,000 proteins across 4,400 viruses, expanding the existing body of knowledge on viral proteins by a factor of thirty.

Viro3D is free, searchable, and designed to transform the way scientists study viruses. For decades, gaining insights into viral proteins has required slow, painstaking laboratory research, limiting progress in developing vaccines and treatments. By using AI to generate detailed protein structures at scale, Viro3D provides a faster and more comprehensive window into viral evolution, origins, and vulnerabilities.

The research team, led by Dr Joe Grove, believes Viro3D will accelerate the design of new antiviral drugs and vaccines targeting both widespread pathogens like hepatitis, HIV, the common cold, and COVID-19, as well as emerging viruses with pandemic potential. The database has already yielded new insights into SARS-CoV-2: analysis suggests that one of its key infection-related proteins may have originated from genetic exchange with an ancestral herpesvirus. This discovery illustrates how Viro3D can shed light on viral ancestry and genetic diversity in ways previously out of reach.

Dr Grove explained: “Viruses have existed for billions of years, evolving alongside cellular life. With Viro3D, we gain an entirely new perspective that can deepen our understanding of viral diversity and history. The use of AI also opens the door to computationally designing antivirals and vaccines, which can then be tested and applied in real-world healthcare settings.”

Protein structure is fundamental to biology, as it dictates how proteins function in health and disease. While other AI-driven resources like the AlphaFold Database and the Evolutionary Scale Modelling Metagenomic Atlas have mapped proteins on a large scale, virus proteins have until now been excluded or only minimally represented. Viro3D fills this gap, offering a comprehensive and virus-focused resource that has the potential to “turbocharge” virus research worldwide.

The study, Viro3D: a comprehensive database of virus protein structure predictions, was recently published in Molecular Systems Biology. Funding for the work came from Wellcome, the Medical Research Council (MRC), and the Medical Research Foundation.

Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Glasgow