Ben Hale
@benhale.bsky.social
940 followers 200 following 9 posts
Professor of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Switzerland. My research group studies molecular mechanisms of the interferon system, interferon deficiencies, and viral disease.
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benhale.bsky.social
Thank-you @casanovalab.bsky.social for the kind invitation to be a participant at your celebratory Novo Nordisk Prize Symposium. I appreciated being able to present alongside a great array of leading researchers, & to meet so many welcoming people in the field of Inborn Errors of Immunity! Congrats!
casanovalab.bsky.social
1/ We are celebrating the Novo Nordisk Prize Symposium: Inborn Errors of Immunity – a huge success yesterday at the @institutimagine.bsky.social in Paris featuring talks by 19 leading European researchers on human IEI
benhale.bsky.social
'TRIM28 is a target for paramyxovirus V proteins'. Work led by Gauthier Lieber seeks to address whether host activation of endogenous retroelements contributes to antiviral defences. In support of this idea, he describes a viral mechanism that might limit this host response.
doi.org/10.1371/jour...
TRIM28 is a target for paramyxovirus V proteins
Author summary Host recognition of viral nucleic acids is fundamental for stimulating antiviral immunity. To prevent aberrant immune activation, cells must precisely differentiate “non-self” from “sel...
doi.org
Reposted by Ben Hale
emboreports.org
Regulated localization of transposable element #RNA during #influenza A #virus #infection.

-> www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Ben Hale
dbhella.bsky.social
A nice photo from last week’s ’Celebration of 50 years of Virology’ in St Andrews - marking a milestone in the distinguished career of Rick Randall - a great virologist, colleague and friend - congratulations Rick!
benhale.bsky.social
It's a great idea to involve those interested in IFNs at different levels (not just molecular/infections, but also cancer community, clinicians and those using IFNs as treatments etc). Would love to do a similar thing in ZH - will be a lot to learn from the different perspectives. Good luck with it!
benhale.bsky.social
Disappointed to miss out as a non-Heidelbergian! Sounds like a great meeting to bring together all your local Interferon friends!
benhale.bsky.social
Anti-interferon autoantibodies are always on my mind....even at Easter!
Reposted by Ben Hale
jem.org
Type I interferon autoantibody footprints reveal neutralizing mechanisms and allow inhibitory decoy design. New study from Kevin Groen, Benjamin Hale (@benhale.bsky.social) and colleagues @virology.uzh.ch: rupress.org/jem/article/...

#Autoimmunity #Immunodeficiency #InfectiousDisease
Reposted by Ben Hale
labwaggoner.bsky.social
An atlas of protein phosphorylation dynamics during interferon signaling @benhale.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Ben Hale
virology.uzh.ch
A follow up on @benhale.bsky.social and colleagues' research published in @jem.org : How "decoy molecules" intercept harmful auto-antibodies, restoring antiviral immunity.
www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/...
Decoys Restore Antiviral Immune Defense
www.news.uzh.ch
Reposted by Ben Hale
jem.org
AutoAbs neutralizing IFN-Is exacerbate severe viral diseases. Groen, @benhale.bsky.social et al. @virology.uzh.ch identify IFN-I regions commonly targeted by these autoAbs and develop a proof-of-concept decoy strategy to alleviate pathogenic effects. rupress.org/jem/article/...
benhale.bsky.social
Interferon research has a long history at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Charles Weissmann, Professor of Molecular Biology, led the group that first cloned interferon genes. This allowed large-scale production and facilitated the medical use of interferon.

@uzh-ch.bsky.social
40yearsago.bsky.social
[January 16th, 1980] Scientists at Biogen have successfully produced human interferon, a natural virus fighter, in a laboratory using gene-splicing techniques, potentially making it a more affordable treatment for various viral infections and cancers.

#history #1980s
benhale.bsky.social
In our most recent work, Kevin Groen from the lab made AIR cells for rapid & sensitive functional detection of interferon types I, II & III. AIR cells can be used with a live cell luciferase substrate, are highly sensitive & can detect autoantibodies neutralising interferons.
doi.org/10.1002/eji....
Highly sensitive reporter cell line for detection of interferon types I–III and their neutralization by antibodies
Interferons (IFNs) are a critical component of innate immune defenses and limit viral disease severity. To advance studies on IFNs and their neutralization by pathogenic autoantibodies, we generated ...
doi.org