Carlos Ros

PD Dr. Carlos Ros serves as Group Leader and Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland. His research focuses on molecular mechanisms of host cell invasion by parvoviruses, particularly human parvovirus B19 and minute virus of mice (MVM), which represent important models for studying virus-host interactions due to their minimal genomic complexity.

Dr. Ros completed his Veterinary Medicine studies at Complutense University, Madrid (1984-1989), followed by clinical practice (1989-1991). He earned his Master's (1991-1992) and Ph.D. in Molecular Virology (1993-1997) from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. His academic journey continued with postdoctoral work at the National Veterinary Institute (1997-1999), a research fellowship at the University of South Florida (1998), Venia Docendi in infectious diseases from the University of Valencia (1999), Assistant Professor position there (1999-2001), and Senior Scientist role at CSL Behring, Bern (2001-2016). He obtained his Habilitation in molecular virology from the University of Bern (2013) and established his independent research group there in 2017.

His laboratory investigates the early stages of parvovirus infection, with groundbreaking recent work revealing that infectious parvovirus B19 circulates in human blood coated with active host protease inhibitors (ITIH4 and serpinA3), which remain functional and dissociate prior to cell entry. This discovery, made using authentic patient-derived virions rather than cell culture models, suggests a novel viral immune evasion strategy. His research also addresses viral safety in blood-derived medicinal products, focusing on virus inactivation mechanisms critical for biopharmaceutical development.

Analysis of Dr. Ros's publication record (2020-2024) reveals consistent investigation into parvovirus B19 entry mechanisms, particularly the critical role of globoside as a cellular receptor and the pH-dependent processes governing viral endosomal escape. His work bridges fundamental virology with practical applications in biopharmaceutical safety, employing advanced techniques including structural biology, cell culture models, and high-resolution imaging to dissect viral entry pathways.

Dr. Ros leads an active research group at the University of Bern with significant contributions to understanding parvovirus molecular biology and virus-host interactions. His laboratory maintains strong connections with both academic virology research and industry applications in viral safety assessment for blood products, reflecting his dual background in veterinary medicine and molecular virology.