Dan Fletcher’s lab reveals how a viral pathogen hijacks branched actin network assembly to drive cell-cell fusion; a mechanism essential for tissue development and used by some viruses to form pathological syncytia.
IVRI is proud to feature “Fab” article from UC Berkeley Pr. Jay Groves. Understanding how T Cell receptors (TCRs) are activated is fundamental in the cancer immunotherapy field. The present study is probably the first to put a quantitative measure on specific potency of a synthetic TCR ligand, and identifies the specific H57-Fab’ epitope as a potent target; both of these insights being essential in drug development.
IVRI faculty Prof. Greg Barton recently demonstrated the importance of the location of Toll-like-receptors (TLRs). In a new study published in PNAS, Alison Stanbery, Zachary Newman, and Prof. Gregory Barton show that not only location of TLR-9 is primordial, but dysregulated activation of TLR-9 at different stages of life, induced specific inflammatory response. This work helps us understand unique aspects of TLR9-driven inflammatory disease, and has relevance for studying and developing new therapeutic avenues for both infectious and autoimmune diseases.