Researchers at Imperial have identified a molecule that alerts the immune system when it finds DNA from viruses inside our cells.
By Eliot Barford Researchers at Imperial College London have identified a molecule that sounds the alarm when viruses invade our cells. Our immune system has evolved to recognise distinctive features of infectious agents like bacteria, fungi and viruses in order to fight infections, but some viruses are hard to detect. Now scientists have discovered a molecule that reacts to DNA from viruses and sets off danger signals. The discovery may help to improve the body's response to viruses such as HIV and vaccines, and to develop treatments for diseases where the immune system is working abnormally. The study was carried out by Nicholas Peters with Brian Ferguson as part of Geoffrey Smith's group in the Department of Medicine. It is published today in the new open-access journal eLife. Viruses reproduce by invading host cells and hijacking their internal machinery.
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