An autoimmune condition makes certain people much more susceptible to West Nile virus and many other severe viral diseases. In the future, a screening process could reveal if you’re at risk.
New findings on how past viral respiratory infections affect future, unrelated ones could lead to therapies for boosting general antiviral immunity—and potentially better pandemic preparedness.
The study explains why treatments for many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases raise the risk of contracting TB—and also upends long-held assumptions about what kicks off an immune response.
The absence of a single immune cell receptor has been linked to both fewer defenses against mycobacterial infections, such as TB, and damaging buildup of sticky residue in the lungs.
Luciano Marraffini’s research helped lay the groundwork for the newly FDA-approved CRISPR-based therapy for sickle cell anemia. He reflects on how we got here—and where the science is going next.
With 40% of encephalitis cases now explained by an autoimmune deficiency, West Nile virus "is by far the best understood human infectious disease in the world. It’s stunning.”
