Modulating Immune Responses to Control Virus Infection

PhD researcher: Nia Cwyfan Hughes

End of project summary

Main messages

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common virus that most healthy people don’t even notice, but it can be life-threatening for newborns and people with weakened immune systems, like transplant patients or those with AIDS. This research focused on understanding how HCMV tricks the immune system to survive in the body and looked for ways to fight it.

The virus was found to use a clever strategy to weaken the immune system by targeting key immune cells, called dendritic cells (DCs). These cells are essential for helping other immune cells, like T-cells, fight infections. HCMV reduces the effectiveness of DCs by lowering the levels of a molecule called ICOSL. Without enough ICOSL, T-cells can’t activate properly, leaving the virus free to spread.

To stop the virus, we tested new drugs designed to block HCMV’s key proteins. These drugs showed promise, especially against proteins that help the virus replicate in patients. By restoring the function of immune molecules and stopping viral growth, these compounds could lead to new treatments for people at risk of severe HCMV infections.

This study helps us understand HCMV’s tricks and provides hope for better therapies to protect vulnerable individuals.