Scientists uncover how a common herpes virus outsmarts the immune system
“We found a missing puzzle piece that represents one possible reason why immunization efforts against CMV have been unsuccessful.”
Disease CMV
LJI launches “America’s SHIELD” to develop life-saving herpesvirus vaccines
San Diego laboratories lead vaccine innovation research through new ARPA-H program
Benedict Lab
Christopher Benedict, Ph.D., studies the strategies that viruses use to escape detection by our immune system.
How ‘late-rising’ T cells combat a stubborn virus
LJI researchers uncover special T cell subset that helps fight cytomegalovirus infection
The immune cell with two faces
"These cells might make a big difference in fighting off viruses"
CMV Interfaces with The Trail Cytokine System
We have recently discovered a novel connection between the TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) cytokine system and CMV. TRAIL is a TNF-family cytokine that can bind to several receptors (TRAIL receptor- 1, 2 ,3 and 4), of which two (R1…
T Cell Immunity and CMV
HCMV-specific CD8 T cells protect bone marrow transplant patients when used in cellular immunotherapy, and their long-term maintenance is enhanced by CD4 T cells. Importantly, a robust HCMV-specific CD4 T cell response strongly correlates with protection against congenital infection and…
CMV Targets the Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor BTLA
Virulent isolates of CMV encode the ul144 orf, and we identified UL144 as an orthologue of the herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM), a member of the TNF receptor superfamily. When the immune checkpoint inhibitor B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) was…
The Lymphotoxin-Interferon Antiviral Immunity Axis
Over the last 15 years our lab has been studying the link between lymphotoxins (LT) and the regulation of type I interferons (IFN-I) during CMV infection. Mice deficient in LT signaling pathways show increased susceptibility to infection with MCMV due…