Mariana del Vas is a plant virologist leading the Mal de Río Cuarto laboratory at the Agro Biotechnology and Molecular Biology Institute (IABIMO), in turn, a joint institute of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) and the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) from Argentina. Her group studies maize fijivirus (dsRNA, Reoviridae family) interactions with plants and insect vectors and develops nanobody-based biotechnological tools for diagnosis and disease control. In particular, the group focuses on viroplasm structure, composition, and maturation and maintains active collaborations in the areas of structural biology, biophysics, and plant biochemistry. In addition, the group aims to identify plant genes underlying virus replication and symptoms that severely affect maize production.