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Open research questions in Polyomavirus and related diseases

147 gap statements mined from Polyomavirus and related diseases papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 524 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Polyomavirus and related diseases? See the ranked Medicine journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • There is a lack of understanding of the incidence and staging of MCC in non-white Hispanic patients. Prior literature has excluded Hispanic white individuals from the non-white Hispanic cohort, resulting in selection bias.

    Incidence and staging of Merkel cell carcinoma in non-white Hispanic patients in comparison to white patients · 2026 · DOI

  • The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in localized or locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma remains controversial. There is a need to evaluate whether the addition of chemotherapy to adjuvant radiotherapy improves clinical outcomes in patients at high risk of recurrence.

    Evaluating the Role of Chemotherapy in Addition to Radiotherapy for High-Risk Merkel Cell Carcinoma · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying Merkel cell carcinoma. Lack of effective treatment options for the disease. Need for novel therapeutic approaches to improve clinical outcomes.

    Understanding Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Pathogenic Signaling, Extracellular Matrix Dynamics, and Novel Treatment Approaches · 2025 · DOI

  • The lack of effective antiviral therapy against BKPyV. The uncertainty surrounding the optimal management of rejection in kidney transplant recipients with prior BKPyV DNAemia. The need for further prospective studies to define the optimal management of rejection in this setting.

    Rejection after BKPyV DNAemia—Are We Treating Too Cautiously? · 2025 · DOI

  • These findings suggest that anatomic subsite may influence disease behavior and highlight the need for larger studies to determine whether subsite-specific management strategies are warranted.

    Cheek Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is Associated With Increased Nodal and Parotid Involvement · 2026 · DOI

  • While known risk factors include advanced age, Merkel cell polyomavirus infection, immunodeficiency, and ultraviolet exposure, the impact of anatomic subsite on disease behavior and prognosis remains poorly defined.

    Cheek Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is Associated With Increased Nodal and Parotid Involvement · 2026 · DOI

  • Interestingly, these circles display very different propensities to integrate into the caterpillar genome, but the factors influencing this variation remain poorly understood.

    Exploring the Determinants of Polydnavirus Chromosomal Integration Across Host–Parasitoid Wasp Systems · 2026 · DOI

  • Management of BK virus after kidney transplantation remains challenging, as recently published updated guidelines identify ongoing gaps in the evidence.

    Ten tips on management of BK nephropathy in kidney transplant patients · 2026 · DOI

  • The optimal reduction in immunosuppression in response to BK viraemia or BKVAN has not been established by clinical trials.

    Ten tips on management of BK nephropathy in kidney transplant patients · 2026 · DOI

  • H&N Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) mainly affects elderly patients, yet age-stratified treatment patterns and outcomes data are scarce.

    Treatment Patterns and Survival Outcomes of Head and Neck Merkel Cell Carcinoma: An Age‐Stratified Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the pathway by which ORFV enters goat blood immune cells has not yet been elucidated.

    Antibody-dependent enhancement of ORFV uptake into host cells · 2025 · DOI

  • Oncogenic viruses have been implicated in thyroid carcinogenesis, yet their prevalence and clinicopathological associations remain incompletely understood.

    Molecular detection of HPV, EBV, and polyomaviruses in thyroid tumors and their clinicopathological relevance · 2025 · DOI

  • These findings indicate that ECP may provide potential therapeutic benefits for BKVAN and could warrant further investigation in the context of kidney transplantation.

    Extracorporeal photopheresis for refractory BK virus–associated nephropathy in kidney transplantation · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the frequency of this triad in surgical pathology specimens and its correlation with disease progression and viral loads remain unclear.

    Histomorphological variations in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy correlated with JCV replication in brain lesions: insights from 91 patients · 2025 · DOI

  • While elective discontinuation may be appropriate after durable CRs (response≥1 year), greater caution is warranted in other settings.

    Risk of disease progression after discontinuing immunotherapy in 105 patients with Merkel cell carcinoma who responded to PD-1 pathway blockade · 2025 · DOI

  • Introduction Tubular basement membrane (TBM) C4d staining has been frequently observed in BK polyomavirus nephropathy (BKPyVN), yet its specificity and clinical implications remain unclear.

    A Novel Perspective on Tubular C4d Positivity in BK Polyomavirus Nephropathy · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on optimizing combination therapies, identifying predictive biomarkers, and refining treatment sequencing to further improve survival and quality of life.

    Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Evolving Therapeutics, Continued Challenges · 2025 · DOI

  • MCPyV is the only polyomavirus definitively shown to cause cancer in humans, yet little is known about how it establishes infection in target cells.

    Temporal gating of nuclear import: How Merkel cell polyomavirus exploits the cell cycle for nuclear entry · 2025 · DOI

  • Randomized controlled trials are lacking both in terms of optimal immunosuppression reduction strategies, and for the medications variably used to attempt treatment in clinical practice.

    BK Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy – diagnostic and treatment standard · 2025 · DOI

  • Much of the fundamental biology of BKPyV is not yet understood, and further elucidation is required to promote rational direct-acting antiviral drug design.

    BK Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy – diagnostic and treatment standard · 2025 · DOI

  • With BK viremia leading to acute renal failure such as in our case, it is reasonable to question whether the virus should be further investigated in non-transplant immunosuppression.

    BK Breaks the Rules: AKI Due to BK Virus in a Native Kidney · 2025 · DOI

  • Few cases in the literature have been described and the management is not well defined.

    Merkel cell carcinoma overlapping Bowen’s disease: two cases report and literature review · 2024 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the understanding of the expression of miRNAs in kidney allografts with distinct injury phenotypes. The study aims to evaluate the potential of miRNAs as tissue biomarkers of alloimmune injury.

    Expression of miR-155, miR-223, miR-29b, miR-142-3p, and miR-142-5p in kidney allografts with acute tubular necrosis, rejection phenotypes, and BK-polyomavirus nephropathy · 2026 · DOI

  • The study only examined the first year after transplantation, - The study did not systematically perform kidney biopsies on LTR+ patients, - The study had a limited sample size of 102…

    Benefit of BK Polyomavirus Screening in the First Year After Lung Transplantation · 2025 · DOI

  • Investigate the benefit of routine screening after the first year of lung transplantation, - Examine the conditions that lead to the development of BKPyVAN in LTR, - Study the timeline of BKPyVAN in lung…

    Benefit of BK Polyomavirus Screening in the First Year After Lung Transplantation · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Polyomavirus and related diseases

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a lack of understanding of the incidence and staging of MCC in non-white Hispanic patients (“Incidence and staging of Merkel cell carcinoma in non-white Hispanic patients…”, 2026); (2) The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in localized or locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma remains controversial (“Evaluating the Role of Chemotherapy in Addition to Radiotherapy for High-Risk…”, 2026); (3) These findings suggest that anatomic subsite may influence disease behavior and highlight the need for larger studies to determine whether subsite-specific management strategies are warranted (“Cheek Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is Associated With Increased Nodal and Parotid…”, 2026); (4) Interestingly, these circles display very different propensities to integrate into the caterpillar genome, but the factors influencing this variation remain poorly understood (“Exploring the Determinants of Polydnavirus Chromosomal Integration Across…”, 2026); (5) The optimal reduction in immunosuppression in response to BK viraemia or BKVAN has not been established by clinical trials (“Ten tips on management of BK nephropathy in kidney transplant patients”, 2026). 147 gap statements have been mined from Polyomavirus and related diseases papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 524 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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