A fast, highly sensitive ultra-large field of view microscope to map early viral infection heterogeneity in living cells

When two people get infected by a virus, one might get very sick, while the other has no symptoms at all. The outcome of viral infection is equally heterogeneous at the cellular level. What causes this heterogeneity in infection outcome is poorly understood. Here, we will use innovative new microscopy techniques to study infection of host cells by single viruses to understand what determines the success of infection. The outcomes of this work will provide a better understanding of viral infection heterogeneity and can potentially contribute to the development of improved antiviral drugs.