Viral persistence and interferon response
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Group Leader Thomas Michiels Contact Thomas Michiels de Duve Institute and Université catholique de Louvain MIPA-VIRO - B1.74.07, Avenue Hippocrate 74, B-1200 Brussels phone: 32 (0)2 764 74 29 fax: 32 (0)2 764 74 95 e-mail: Thomas Michiels Group members > |
Research topics
The molecular virology group focuses on two topics related to the interplay between viral infections and the immune response of the host.
1. Theiler's virus: We analyze the model infection of the central nervous system by Theiler's virus (TMEV or Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus). This virus can escape the immune defenses of the host and provoke a persistent infection of the central nervous system which can lead to a chronic demyelinating disease considered as a model of multiple sclerosis. We study the role of viral proteins that antagonize the innate immune response of the host, thus allowing the virus to persist.
2. Interferons: We analyze the innate immune response against viral pathogens in the particular context of the central nervous system. We focus our analysis on the type I interferon (IFN-α/β) and on the recently discovered type III interferon (IFN-λ) responses which are critically important to control viral infections and modulate the acquired immune response.
