Detail

Keywords

Adaptive Immunity; Antigenic Variation; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne; Epitope Mapping; Flavivirus; Immunodominant Epitopes; Vaccination

Research interests

Our research group focuses on the molecular mechanisms of protective immunity against viral infections, with a particular emphasis on antibody- and T cell–mediated immune responses that are crucial for viral clearance and prevention of disease. We study how structural features of viral antigens shape immune recognition, with a focus on how viral envelope protein structure determines which epitopes are targeted by the immune system.

In our previous work, we identified key immunologically relevant epitopes within the envelope proteins of several human-pathogenic flaviviruses, including Tick-borne encephalitis, West Nile, Usutu, Zika, and Yellow fever viruses. These studies link antigen structure to functional immune responses and provide insights into correlates of protection.

We combine immunological research with flavivirus diagnostics and epidemiological surveillance in Austria. A key focus of our work is the establishment and validation of new diagnostic assays for flavivirus infections, with the aim of improving detection and differentiation of closely related viruses. In our role as the national reference center for human arbovirus infections, we conduct flavivirus surveillance in Austria. This includes laboratory confirmation of human cases, analysis and interpretation of surveillance data, and close collaboration with public health authorities.

Grants

• Counteracting the pandemic potential of flaviviruses: addressing virus-host interactions and defence strategies to design new therapeutics against WNV and DENV (2025)
  Source of Funding: EU, EU Horizon-HLTH-2024-DISEASE-08-20
  Principal Investigator
• Monitoring antigenic drift in SARS-CoV-2 variants and seasonal respiratory viruses (2024)
  Source of Funding: Medical Scientific Fund of the Mayor of the City of Vienna, COVID-19
  Principal Investigator
• SARS CoV-2 specific T cell and antibody responses in COVID-19: Establishment of standardized immunoassays (2020)
  Source of Funding: Medical Scientific Fund of the Mayor of the City of Vienna, Covid-19
  Principal Investigator

Selected publications

1. Springer, D.N. et al. (2024) ‘SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody response to bivalent booster after omicron infection’, The Lancet Microbe, 5(1), p. e8. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/s2666-5247(23)00293-8.
2. Springer, D.N. et al. (2023) ‘Bivalent COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccination (BA.1 or BA.4/BA.5) increases neutralization of matched Omicron variants’, npj Vaccines, 8(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-023-00708-9.
3. Redlberger‐Fritz, M. et al. (2023) ‘Respiratory syncytial virus surge in 2022 caused by lineages already present before the COVID‐19 pandemic’, Journal of Medical Virology, 95(6). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.28830.
4. Florian, D.M. et al. (2026) ‘Increased incidence of human West Nile and Usutu infections in Austria, 2024: analysis of data from 2009 to 2024’, Eurosurveillance, 31(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.es.2026.31.1.2500260.
5. Raffl, S. et al. (2025) ‘Tick-borne encephalitis: Burden of disease and impact of vaccination, Austria (2000–2024)’, Vaccine, 66, p. 127854. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127854.