Interested in viroids & viroids-like RNAs?
Join us for an online event

When: Thursday, 24 April 2025 from 14:00 to 16:00 CET
Where: Online on the Webex platform hosted by the University of Ljubljana

The purpose of the event is to present the ViroiDoc project, introduce the team, and present the background and objectives of the project. The programme will also include two lectures on viroids by Beatriz Navarro Ramirez (CNR) and José-Antonio Daròs (CSIC).

  • About ViroiDoc Background, objectives & project consortium

  • Taking a peek at viroids Lecture by José-Antonio Daròs, CSIC (ES)

  • Viroid-like RNAs widespread and infectious? Lecture by Beatriz Navarro, CNR (IT)

Please register by 23 April at 12:00 CET.
A Webex link will be sent prior to the event.
The event in English will be recorded but not streamed live.

Programme


14:00–14:15 Welcome
Marina Pintar, Dean of the Biotechnical Faculty UL (SI)
Stojan Sorčan, NCP MSCA Slovenia

About ViroiDoc
14:15–14:40 ViroiDoc at a glance by Sabina Berne, UL (SI)
14:40–14:50 Partner’s Tour the Table by Ester Stajič & Taja Jeseničnik, UL (SI)
14:50–15:00 ViroiDoc doctoral program and training by Nataša Štajner, UL (SI)
15:10–15:15 Coffee break

Lectures
15:15–15:35 Taking a peek at viroids by José-Antonio Daròs, CSIC (ES)
15:35–15:50 Viroid-like RNAs widespread and infectious? by Beatriz Navarro, CNR (IT)

15:50–16:00 Takeaways by Jernej Jakše, UL (SI)

The event is open to the public and conducted in English.
Further information: info[at]viroidoc.eu

The event is the public part of the EU-funded ViroiDoc project's kick-off meeting.
The organiser reserves the right to make changes to the programme.

Jose Antonio Daros

José-Antonio Daròs

A research Professor at the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP) / Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain. His research group is developing new biotechnological strategies for crop protection and repurposing plant viruses and viroids into useful tools for biotechnology and synthetic biology.

About the lecture:
Viroids are particular infectious agents composed of a small, circular, highly base-paired RNA that does not encodes proteins. After more than fifty years of research, we know a great deal about structure, replication, phylogeny, pathogenicity, and host range; however, much still remains unknown, awaiting a new generation of viroid researchers.

Beatriz Navarro

Beatriz Navarro Ramirez

A senior researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP) of the National Research Council (CNR), Italy. Her research focuses on the study of the molecular interactions between viroids/virus and their host plants.

About the lecture:
Originally thought to be restricted to plants and animals, viroid-like RNAs have been recently found to be widely distributed in a variety of ecosystems, extending their host range to fungi and prokaryotes. However, the biological and ecological significance of these new putative infectious circular RNA elements remains to be investigated.