Study reveals how Ebola blocks immune system
The Ebola virus, in the midst of its biggest outbreak on record, is a master at evading the body’s immune system. But researchers at the School of Medicine and elsewhere have learned one way the virus dodges the body’s antiviral defenses, providing important insight that could lead to new therapies.
Colonna named Robert Rock Belliveau Professor
Marco Colonna, MD, has been named the Robert Rock
Belliveau, MD, Professor of Pathology at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis. Shown (from left) are Colonna; Belliveau’s wife, Rita Deanin Abbey; and Belliveau.
Timing, duration of biochemical bugle call critical for fighting viruses
Researchers have identified the primary player of the
biochemical bugle call that musters the body’s defenders against viral
infection. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis have shown that a key molecule, MDA5, is essential for
producing enough interferon (the bugle call) to rally virus-fighting
cells during certain viral infections.
Murphy named Opie First Centennial Professor
Kenneth M. Murphy, MD, PhD, has been named the Eugene L. Opie First Centennial Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.