Fungal viruses and a 100-million-piece jigsaw puzzle

Eeva Vainio, Research Professor at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, investigates viruses that infect wood-decay fungi, with the goal of harnessing these pathogens as biological control agents against root rot and other fungal diseases that cause tens of millions of euros in annual losses to Finnish forestry. Using RNA sequencing, CSC's high-performance computing infrastructure, and the Chipster bioinformatics platform, her research group detects and characterises fungal viruses, including dozens of previously unknown species, and studies how they spread and affect fungal behaviour. The long-term aim is to identify viruses capable of limiting disease spread in commercial forests as a natural complement to existing management practices.