Quasispecies ― From Theory to Experimental Systems

This volume brings together recent developments in quasispecies theory extended to variable environments and practical applications in elucidating viral dynamics and treatment designs. In particular, the existence of an error threshold in rugged fitness landscapes has opened the way to a new antiviral strategy termed lethal mutagenesis, which is now under intensive theoretical, experimental and clinical investigation. As such the book explains how an understanding of quasispecies dynamics within infected organisms has increased our knowledge of viral disease events. From a clinical perspective, population dynamics highlights important problems for viral disease control, such as the selection of drug-resistant mutants that often accompanies treatment failures, and suggests means of increasing the effectiveness of antiviral treatments. The book is intended for students and scientists interested in basic and applied aspects of biophysics, chemistry, biology, evolution and medical virology. 

Esteban Domingo is a professor at the Spanish Research Council at Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Madrid) and President of the Spanish Society of Virology. He is a member of EMBO and Real Academia de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales. Peter Schuster, em. professor of University of Vienna is a member of Leopoldina, Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften, National Academy of Sciences USA, European Academy of Sciences and Arts and several other institutions. He worked together with Manfred Eigen and developed together with him the concepts of "quasispecies" and "hypercycles".