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Working group Weber

Group leaderWeber Group

  • Prof. Dr. Friedemann Weber

Postdocs

  • Dr. Barbara Bank-Wolf
  • Dr. Lyudmila Shalamova
  • Dr. Matthew Pickin
  • Dr. Sha Tim Wai

  • Dr. Vishakha Tiwarekar

Ph.D. students

  • Kelly Koch
  • Patrick Schmerer
  • Kiriaki Kouti
  • Kai Wallerang

  • Christian Sauer

Bachelor- /Master

  • Anna Hoffbauer (Lehramt)

Guest scientists

  •  

Technical Assistance (Lab Manager)

  • Besim Berisha

Project description

The interaction of viruses with the innate immune system is an important determinant of virulence. Type I interferons (IFN-alpha/beta) are produced by virus-infected cells to trigger in an autocrine and paracrine fashion the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), some of which have antiviral and immunomodulatory activity. Viruses, in turn, have evolved a multitude of strategies to interfere with IFN induction, signaling, and/or the antiviral effects.

In our group, we are investigating the interactions of highly pathogenic RNA viruses (mostly bunyaviruses, coronaviruses und influenza viruses) with the type I IFN system. Three main questions are in the focus: (i) How is IFN induced in the infected cell? (ii) Which ISG products are capable of inhibiting our selection of viruses, and how do they do that? (iii) What are the strategies of viruses to avoid IFN induction and antiviral IFN effects?