Immune responses to emerging viruses
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The emerging, often life-threatening virus infections cause a great worldwide concern. At the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) we maintain the national preparedness for the health threats that newly appeared or re-emerged viruses cause, and conduct research on the human immune responses against highly dangerous viruses.
Viruses have evolved numerous ways to evade the defence responses that a virus infection induces in the human body. By circumventing the host's antiviral defence, the virus maintains its own reproductive efficiency without the activation of proper antiviral signaling in the cells. When this cellular combat turns to the advantage of the highly pathogenic virus, the end result may be fatal to the host.
Confocal fluorescence microscopy picture of Calu3 cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. Viral N protein is visualized in green and dsRNA in red.
Our research aims to understand the early steps of the activation of antiviral signaling in human cells. We study the entry, replication and antiviral evasion of highly pathogenic viruses such as avian influenza viruses H5N1 and H7N9, SARS, SARS-2 and MERS coronavirus. We are interested in the regulation of the antiviral state in host cells and the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the collapse of the host defence. Our goal is to find new approaches to antiviral protection and therapy against severe virus infections.
Research directions
- Characterization of human innate immune responses induced by emerging viruses.
- Studies on specific cellular signaling pathways in human cells infected with highly pathogenic viruses.
- Investigation of host antiviral strategies against the highly pathogenic viruses and identification of viral factors that counteract them.
- Development of new approaches to the protection and therapy against highly pathogenic viruses.
Contact details
Pamela Österlund
Group Leader, PhD
tel. +358 29 524 8351
e-mail: [email protected]
