The 15th international dsRNA virus symposium, Porto, Portugal, November 3-7, 2025

The 15th International dsRNA Virus Symposium was held in Porto, Portugal from November 3-7, 2025. This triennial conference, previously held in Banff, Alberta, Canada in 2022, brought together a global community of dsRNA virologists to describe and discuss advances in the field over the last three years. Emerging themes across dsRNA viruses include continued study of biomolecular condensates (by liquid-liquid phase separation) in the formation of viral replication complexes; structures of viral proteins and their effect on function; mechanisms of genome recombination and reassortment that result in the epidemiological diversity of subsets of dsRNA viruses; and the diverse host cell responses to infection that influence pathogenesis. The field continues to be greatly facilitated by the broader development and implementation of reverse genetics systems to study these viruses. The keynote address, entitled "The Odyssey of the HIV-1 Capsid: From Assembly to Nuclear Entry," was delivered by Peijun Zhang, Professor of Structural Biology at Oxford University, and described the use of sophisticated imaging techniques to study various stages of virus replication in host cells. The Jean Cohen Memorial Lecture at this meeting, entitled "The Magnificent Reovirus Replication Factories," was given by Terence Dermody, Vira I. Heinz Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Dermody presented recent unpublished data on the role of reovirus non-structural proteins in scaffolding replication complexes and the implications of these mechanisms for the efficient translation of nonpolyadenylated RNAs.