It's been an arms race that has been going on for millions of years
-Brian Ferguson
For millions of years viruses have been evolving ways to outsmart our immune system so they can replicate inside our bodies and spread. In the process many cause infectious diseases, ranging from the common cold and influenza to hepatitis and AIDS. Now, by gaining a greater insight into their complex mechanisms, virologists are manipulating viruses to work for, rather than against, us.
“We’re trying to understand how our immune system works – how it responds to and fights pathogens, particularly viruses,” said Professor Geoffrey L. Smith, Head of Cambridge University’s Department of Pathology. “If you want to study the immune system, you study the pathogens. Viruses have known how our immune system works for millions of years, and have developed many methods to overcome it. But we are only now discovering these secrets.”
Smith leads a team of virologists focused on vaccinia virus, from which vaccination gets its name, and the one used to wipe out smallpox. “The virus has about 200 genes, and amazingly about half of these code for proteins that block the host immune response. This is a fantastic resource for understanding our immune system,” said Smith.
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Image: Vaccinia virus particles (green) spreading on a layer of mammalian cells (blue)
Credit: Brian Ferguson and Geoffrey Smith
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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