Category Archives: Immunology

Fever!

Posted on September 11, 2012 by David Esteban

Most viral infections start out with the same general symptoms: fever, malaise, aches. Those are usually the sign of your immune system starting to fight back. Fever is one of our defense mechanisms, and while it can be quite uncomfortable … Continue reading →

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Posted in Evolution, Immunology, Pathogenesis | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Mouse Pneumonia: Are We to Blame?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Alix Zongrone ’12
Pneumonia virus of mice, or PVM, is the leading cause of pneumonia in laboratory mice; however, lack of evidence of PVM in wild rodents has left scientists in the dark with regards to the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Immunology, Pathogenesis | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

After many setbacks, cross-presentation provides new hope for a Herpes Simplex Virus 1 vaccine

Posted on April 27, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Stephanie Mischell ’12
Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is making news due to a paper by Jing et al identifying two promising new candidate antigens for a vaccine. HSV-1 is a widespread public health issue, infecting … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Immunology, Vaccines | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Luring HIV out of its latency may be the secret to developing an effective HIV cure

Posted on April 19, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Steven Chan ‘12
The emergence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the treatment of HIV-infected individuals has certainly changed the outlook of an HIV diagnosis today, compared to what such an outlook looked like in the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Antiviral Drugs, Epidemics, Immunology, Molecular Virology | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Viral Theory of Schizophrenia

Posted on April 17, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Hannah Ziobrowski ’12
Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating mental illness with no known cause or cure, although there is a strong genetic correlation.  Interestingly, there is additionally a significant relationship between season of birth and the development … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Immunology | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Natural Resistance: How Your Genes Can Determine The Severity of Your Influenza Infection

Posted on April 6, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Jared Saunders ’13
Every winter, the general public frantically agonizes over influenza prevention and protection. But is the purchase of hand sanitizer in bulk and tissue boxes by the dozen really necessary? After all, many people don’t … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Immunology, Molecular Virology | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

HIV Microbicides and the Risks of Clinical Trials

Posted on March 28, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Julia Ding ’12
Once preliminary studies suggest that a drug is safe for human use, clinical trials are conducted in order to further investigate the effects and possible adverse reactions of the drug. The example of HIV … Continue reading →

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Posted in Epidemics, Immunology | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Polydnavirus: Good for the Parasitic Wasp, Bad for the Host Caterpillar

Posted on March 23, 2012 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Jason Adler 
An endoparasitoid wasp would disagree with the popular perception of viruses as malevolent. Parasitoids are organisms that spend a substantial portion of their life cycle in the host; unlike a parasite, a parasitoid usually kills … Continue reading →

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Posted in Guest Blogger, Immunology, Molecular Virology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Can adenovirus be used to help cure a cocaine addiction?

Posted on April 27, 2011 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Jessica Hughes ’11
It is well known that drug addiction is a worldwide problem, and so finding a therapy or cure for this issue would be extremely valuable. Scientists have been trying to create a vaccine for … Continue reading →

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Posted in Immunology, Vaccines | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

A possible new HIV vaccine target?

Posted on April 13, 2011 by David Esteban

Contributed by guest blogger: Lydia Mendoza ’11
In 2009, it was estimated that 33.3 million people in the world were living with HIV/AIDS. Since the discovery of HIV, more than two decades ago, money has poured into research in the hopes … Continue reading →

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Posted in Epidemics, Guest Blogger, Immunology, Vaccines | Tagged , , | 2 Comments