ANTIVIRAL THERAPY

The joint commission "Antiviral Therapy" of the DVV and GfV deals with various aspects of antiviral prophylaxis and therapy. The commission is involved in updating existing guidelines and initiating new guidelines and informs the scientific community about current developments in antiviral therapy. The Commission is involved in updating the German standard work on therapy with anti-infectives (Brodt et al., 2024; ISBN 978-3132423435). Tabular overviews of antiviral drugs are regularly updated and made freely available on the GfV website. The freely available interpretation systems for the evaluation of antiviral therapies are also linked here. The Commission participates in the management of clinical-virology.net for the online presentation of infection figures for respiratory viruses and bacteria as well as gastroenteritis pathogens in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The work of the commission is coordinated with the Section for Antiviral Therapy of the Paul Ehrlich Society (PEG).

Safety-relevant research in virology

The task of the "Commission for Safety-Relevant Research in Virology" is to inform the virological scientific community and members of the GfV about regulatory mechanisms of safety-relevant virological research in Germany and to keep them up to date on the public-media debate on this topic, also in an international context. One particular aspect of this is virological research on potentially pandemic viruses with dual-use potential.

To carry out its tasks, the Commission uses its own website with a publicly accessible area for the publication of its own contributions such as statements and activity reports (after consultation with the Executive Board) as well as references to interviews and other thematically relevant publications or events. In addition, the establishment of a password-protected members' area and the Commission's own email address will enable GfV members to interact directly with the Commission.

In consultation with the Executive Board, the Commission organizes topic-specific workshops, which can be held online or in person for GfV members and other participants as required. Another task of the Commission is to represent the interests of GfV members vis-à-vis media representatives and other bodies of the scientific community, e.g. by writing statements and interviews.

To support early career researchers, the Commission offers information and advice on the rights and obligations associated with security-related research.

Genetic engineering

 Through the Central Commission for Biological Safety (ZKBS), the Genetic Engineering Commission deals with the risk assessment of microorganisms, safety classification of genetic engineering work, necessary safety measures in genetic engineering facilities and possible risks of the release or placing on the market of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Members of the commission represent the Department of Virology as experts in the ZKBS. Virologists who have been appointed to the ZKBS as experts for another specialist area can also be invited to join the GfV Commission on Genetic Engineering.

Higher education affairs, research funding, international relations

 The GfV Commission "University Affairs, Research Funding, International Relations" advises the GfV Executive Board on strategic issues relating to virology at universities and non-university research institutions. It advises GfV members on questions of research funding and appointment procedures. On behalf of the GfV Executive Board, the commission is responsible for maintaining relations with international professional societies.

Immunisation

The joint "Immunization" commission of the DVV and GfV deals with various aspects of specific prophylaxis against viral infections. The commission supports the GfV Board with inquiries of various kinds on topics relating to specific antiviral prophylaxis, such as the efficacy or safety of approved products. In order to be able to deal with the complex topic with a broad expertise, not only members of university scientific institutions are represented in the commission, but also members of federal institutions (Paul Ehrlich Institute, Robert Koch Institute) or national vaccination committees (STIKO, STIKO-Vet, national vaccination committee (A)). 

The aims of the commission are to scientifically investigate vaccine-relevant topics for the interested scientific community within and outside the GfV, but also to provide information on issues of broad public interest. Networking with neighboring German-speaking countries and other scientific societies, such as the DGFI, should also contribute to a better coordinated approach to communicating important vaccination issues.

The tasks of the Commission are in the following areas:

1. The Commission represents the GfV in public inquiries on current vaccination issues
2. The Commission draws up statements to raise awareness of potential problems caused by vaccination gaps and to increase the general acceptance of vaccination recommendations.
3. The Commission regularly comments on drafts from federal institutions, including on new vaccination recommendations (STIKO) or ordinances/laws in connection with vaccines (BMG).

Teaching, further education and training

The "Teaching, Further Education and Training" committee of the GfV represents the interests of the subject of virology in student teaching and training, in qualifying further training (specialist, specialist virologist) and in further training. To this end, it participates in the creation and adaptation of laws, licensing regulations and catalogs of further training and learning objectives. The commission also advises the Executive Board on the GfV's "Specialist virologist" certificate.

Guidelines

The joint "Guidelines" commission of the DVV and GfV contributes virological expertise to the creation and revision of guidelines that include virological aspects. To this end, the commission regularly reviews current AWMF guidelines and those to be revised and offers its support to the leading specialist societies. Another task of the commission is to identify missing guidelines on clinically relevant virological issues and, if necessary, to coordinate the development of guidelines together with other specialist societies. If there are no guidelines in the original area of responsibility of clinical virology, these will be drawn up under the leadership of the DVV and GfV.

News and Views

 The task of the "News & Views" committee is to provide information to GfV members, the scientific community and the interested public. To this end, it uses the GfV's accounts on LinkedIn(https://www.linkedin.com/company/101310005/) and X (formerly Twitter, https://x.com/GesVirologie), among others. Information to be disseminated includes the GfV's press releases and statements published on the GfV website, congress announcements, job vacancies and calls for virology research funding, grants and prizes. In addition, the Commission disseminates references to significant current events with virological relevance (e.g. outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics) and to outstanding virological publications (in particular by GfV members), as well as information on virological topics and research prepared for the general public.

The Commission may publish articles on its own initiative or on the initiative of the GfV Board, other GfV-commissions, or individual GfV members. Major campaigns or contributions of considerable public interest require a vote within the Commission and are approved by the Commission Chair(s), if necessary in consultation with the GfV Board and the commissions members concerned. All other contributions can be published by any member of the "News & Views" commission, stating the personal author abbreviation (e.g. MB, EW, etc.).

The aim is to always disseminate contributions via all GfV social media channels in parallel. English should be the default language to reflect the international nature of the virology research community. Only posts of broader public interest should be written in German, possibly with an English translation in a separate post.

National Reference Centres (NRC) and Consultant Laboratories (CL) / virological surveillance

Members of the Commission are the heads of the virological National Reference Centers (NRC) and Consiliary Laboratories (KL), as well as their deputies. A list of the NRCs and KLs of the current appointment period is available on the homepage of the Robert Koch Institute in the section Infection Protection/NRCs and Consiliary Laboratories(List of all National Reference Centers and Consiliary Laboratories).

The aims of the commission are to support the discussion and coordination of the NRZ and KL on common scientific, technical, professional policy and organizational public health issues and to improve virological surveillance in Germany.

The task of the Commission is to ensure the regular exchange

1. of all virology NRCs and KLs with each other,
2. with the non-virological NRZ/KL (via the management of the "Permanent Working Group of the NRZ/KL of the DGHM"), and
3. with the Robert Koch Institute (via the office of the Scientific Advisory Board for Public Health and Microbiology)

to organize.

The Commission also represents the concerns of the NRZ and KL vis-à-vis the Federal Ministry of Health in cooperation with the GfV Executive Board.

Experimental animal research and animal welfare

The "Commission for Animal Experimental Research and Animal Welfare" is the newest commission at Society of Virology and brings together expertise on the legal framework and procedures for animal experiments. If required, the commission draws up statements and answers questions on animal rights, animal experiments or the use of alternative methods. It also networks with other commissions scientific societies (such as the German Society for Immunology (DGfI)) and scientific alliances (e.g. Initiative Transparente Tierversuche, Tierversuche Verstehen).

The committee is made up of people with veterinary, medical or scientific training, whereby the members have many years of experience in virological and laboratory animal work.

The aim of the Commission is to promote ethical standards and scientific methods in animal research with regard to virological research and to ensure that these are in line with the highest animal welfare guidelines.

Virus disinfection

The joint commission "Virus Disinfection" of DVV and GfV informs the scientific community about new aspects and methods of virus disinfection, works on statements and guidelines and represents virological expertise in various federal authorities and institutions.

Virus diagnostics

The joint commission "Virus Diagnostics" of the DVV and GfV informs the scientific community about new aspects in virus diagnostics and represents virological expertise at various federal authorities, the German Medical Association and various commissions in order to promote cooperation and the exchange of specialist knowledge.

The tasks of the Diagnostics Commission are diverse and include issuing statements on diagnostically relevant reforms, proposed legislation or diagnostic procedures. In addition, the Commission promotes the exchange of information on diagnostically relevant virological issues and participates in the development of test concepts and their regulatory requirements. Examples of this include the future working groups for next-generation sequencing (NGS), the In Vitro Diagnostics Regulation (IVDR) and communication with other professional associations such as the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (DGHM).

In the field of quality assurance, the commission works in close cooperation with INSTAND e.V. and provides scientific support for the interlaboratory tests in virus diagnostics.

Viral infection during pregnancy

The joint DVV and GfV commission "Viral infections in pregnancy" contributes virological expertise to the creation and revision of guidelines relating to viral infections in pregnancy. It draws up statements on legislative procedures and represents virological expertise in the Maternity Protection Committee, in particular in Subcommittee II (Substance Hazards) and the "Biological Substances" working group based there.

Virus safety in transfusion and transplantation

The joint commission "Virus safety in transfusion and transplantation" of the DVV and GfV deals with general and specific problems of virus safety in transfusions and Tx and draws up recommendations on current aspects of virus safety. This is done in close contact with the relevant professional societies, expert committees, the RKI and the PEI.

Zoonoses and viral infections of animals

The Commission "Zoonoses and Virus Infections of Animals" is made up of representatives of the responsible federal authorities FLI, RKI and PEI, the One Health Platform and representatives of the field of virology at veterinary and human medical educational institutions in German-speaking countries. It coordinates the cooperation of the GfV with the federal authorities and the One Health Platform, informs the scientific community and draws up statements on current topics in this field.

The commission should develop well-founded recommendations for the monitoring, control and prevention of zoonoses and viral infections in animals with the aim of promoting human and animal health. Commission members should come from a wide range of disciplines to enable comprehensive and well-founded decisions. The Commission should promote a better understanding of zoonoses and viral infections in animals and contribute to public awareness of the risks and preventive measures associated with zoonoses.