Description:

Title: Evolution of Antiviral Immunity

Speaker: Philip Kranzusch, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Professor, Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School
Professor, Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Topic:

Our lab studies the fundamental process of how cells sense and defend from pathogen infection. We discovered that the core components of human innate immunity are surprisingly ancient, evolving billions of years ago in bacteria as pathways that defend against bacteriophage replication. Building on the direct link between animal immunity and bacterial anti-phage defense, I will present new data from our group where we are working to discover mechanisms of immune signaling and define shared rules that govern host-pathogen interactions across all kingdoms of life.

Host: Derek Walsh, Professor, Dept. of Microbiology-Immunology