Date: March 4, 2013 By:
Recent news has reported a Mississippi child who was apparently “cured” of HIV by receiving treatment shortly after birth. Two years later, the child’s viral loads are undetectable, despite being off treatment for almost a year.
Ragon Institute Principal Investigator Dr. Brian Zanoni speaks to NPR about what could have caused this and what the greater implication is for HIV in developing countries.
Listen: Hear & Now on NPR
More coverage: New York Times / ABC News
Researchers at the Ragon Institute have developed a novel immunization strategy that shows promise for protecting against both group 1 and group 2 influenza A viruses. The strategy, detailed in their recent study, relies on eliciting a single amino acid change in antibodies to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs).
Their findings, to be published in Cell next month, reveal how the virus manipulates immune system processes to avoid destruction by natural killer (NK) cells, a type of white blood cell that is crucial for fighting viral infections.
The lab of the Ragon Institute faculty member Hernandez Moura Silva, PhD, recently published a review in Science Immunology regarding resident tissue macrophages (RTMs), shedding light on their multifaceted roles in organ health.