Helen Lazear
@lazearlab.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
UNC Chapel Hill
Viral pathogenesis, arboviruses, virus-host interactions, antiviral immunity
www.lazearlab.org
UNC Chapel Hill
Viral pathogenesis, arboviruses, virus-host interactions, antiviral immunity
www.lazearlab.org
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Bhattacharya testified that he's taking this issue seriously, but I just spoke with a researcher who had completed all the screening and was disinvited from NIAID's council *today*.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
Baldwin quotes directly from my article abt advisory-council vacancies.
BALDWIN: This poses a very serious threat to NIH's ability to fund research.
BHATTACHARYA: I've ordered the ICs to nominate new members... including for the advisory committee to the director [which hasn't met since Dec 2024]
BALDWIN: This poses a very serious threat to NIH's ability to fund research.
BHATTACHARYA: I've ordered the ICs to nominate new members... including for the advisory committee to the director [which hasn't met since Dec 2024]
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Bhattacharya testified that he's taking this issue seriously, but I just spoke with a researcher who had completed all the screening and was disinvited from NIAID's council *today*.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
NIAID's council is set to run out of voting members in October. No grants can be funded without Council.
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Registration and abstract submission are open for SERVC 2026!
Join us in Atlanta April 24-26 - this is a great opportunity for trainees to present their work and meet virologists from around the southeastern US. Abstracts due Feb 16!
tarheels.live/servc/
Join us in Atlanta April 24-26 - this is a great opportunity for trainees to present their work and meet virologists from around the southeastern US. Abstracts due Feb 16!
tarheels.live/servc/
Southeastern Regional Virology Conference – April 24-26, 2026 Atlanta, GA
tarheels.live
February 3, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Registration and abstract submission are open for SERVC 2026!
Join us in Atlanta April 24-26 - this is a great opportunity for trainees to present their work and meet virologists from around the southeastern US. Abstracts due Feb 16!
tarheels.live/servc/
Join us in Atlanta April 24-26 - this is a great opportunity for trainees to present their work and meet virologists from around the southeastern US. Abstracts due Feb 16!
tarheels.live/servc/
Reposted by Helen Lazear
🚨ABSTRACT DEADLINE FEBRUARY 2🚨
🚨TRAVEL AWARD DEADLINE FEBRUARY 9🚨
Share your virology research by submitting an abstract for ASV 2026 by 11:59pm Eastern on Monday 2/2/26
Need financial support? Trainees & teachers can apply for travel awards
www.asv.org/abstract-sub...
www.asv.org/travel-awards
🚨TRAVEL AWARD DEADLINE FEBRUARY 9🚨
Share your virology research by submitting an abstract for ASV 2026 by 11:59pm Eastern on Monday 2/2/26
Need financial support? Trainees & teachers can apply for travel awards
www.asv.org/abstract-sub...
www.asv.org/travel-awards
a black cat is using an apple laptop with the words deadline is coming written below it
Alt: a black cat is using an apple laptop with the words deadline is coming written below it
media.tenor.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:05 PM
🚨ABSTRACT DEADLINE FEBRUARY 2🚨
🚨TRAVEL AWARD DEADLINE FEBRUARY 9🚨
Share your virology research by submitting an abstract for ASV 2026 by 11:59pm Eastern on Monday 2/2/26
Need financial support? Trainees & teachers can apply for travel awards
www.asv.org/abstract-sub...
www.asv.org/travel-awards
🚨TRAVEL AWARD DEADLINE FEBRUARY 9🚨
Share your virology research by submitting an abstract for ASV 2026 by 11:59pm Eastern on Monday 2/2/26
Need financial support? Trainees & teachers can apply for travel awards
www.asv.org/abstract-sub...
www.asv.org/travel-awards
Reposted by Helen Lazear
“What she told me is that (the grant) was terminated for violating guidelines that don’t exist...She told me she doesn’t even know if anyone’s working on developing the guidelines.” dailyillini.com/news-stories...
#governmentefficiency
#governmentefficiency
UI researcher loses grant funding amid NIH shakeup - The Daily Illini
A University influenza research lab lost its NIH funding after shifting federal rules on gain-of-function studies.
dailyillini.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:43 AM
“What she told me is that (the grant) was terminated for violating guidelines that don’t exist...She told me she doesn’t even know if anyone’s working on developing the guidelines.” dailyillini.com/news-stories...
#governmentefficiency
#governmentefficiency
Reposted by Helen Lazear
I'm so proud of this work and how it all came together!
Interferon lambda signaling to maternal dendritic cells protects against congenital Zika virus infection https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.25.701624v1
January 27, 2026 at 3:07 PM
I'm so proud of this work and how it all came together!
Reposted by Helen Lazear
I’m excited to recruit a postdoc to join my lab at NIAID (Rocky Mountain Labs). We study mucosal immunity and vaccine responses to respiratory viruses in a collaborative, supportive environment.
Details & apply: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdf-miv...
#Postdoc #Immunology #Virology #NIHJobs
Details & apply: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdf-miv...
#Postdoc #Immunology #Virology #NIHJobs
www.training.nih.gov
January 24, 2026 at 2:52 AM
I’m excited to recruit a postdoc to join my lab at NIAID (Rocky Mountain Labs). We study mucosal immunity and vaccine responses to respiratory viruses in a collaborative, supportive environment.
Details & apply: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdf-miv...
#Postdoc #Immunology #Virology #NIHJobs
Details & apply: www.training.nih.gov/jobs/pdf-miv...
#Postdoc #Immunology #Virology #NIHJobs
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Excited to share: We show that basal IFNλ2/3 signaling helps human intestinal epithelial cells stay ready for viral infections, even before an acute infection. A reminder that a lot of innate immune defense happens quietly in the background. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Basal IFNλ2/3 signaling is required for ISG expression and viral control in human intestinal epithelial cells
Author summary Interferon-lambdas (IFNλs) are antiviral molecules that help protect the surfaces of our body, such as the gut and lungs, from infection. While IFNλs are best known for being produced d...
journals.plos.org
January 22, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Excited to share: We show that basal IFNλ2/3 signaling helps human intestinal epithelial cells stay ready for viral infections, even before an acute infection. A reminder that a lot of innate immune defense happens quietly in the background. journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Are you a recent graduate with a passion for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics — and a desire to influence public policy in North Carolina?
The NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship is now open for applications through March 9, 2026.
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-stem-poli...
The NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship is now open for applications through March 9, 2026.
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-stem-poli...
NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship
North Carolina Sea Grant news
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu
January 22, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Are you a recent graduate with a passion for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics — and a desire to influence public policy in North Carolina?
The NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship is now open for applications through March 9, 2026.
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-stem-poli...
The NC STEM Policy Post-Graduate Fellowship is now open for applications through March 9, 2026.
ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-stem-poli...
Reposted by Helen Lazear
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:46 PM
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.
A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.
A short 🧵
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Abstract submission is open for SERVC 2026! Deadline Feb 16:
tarheels.live/servc/regist...
Southeastern Regional Virology Conference: April 24-26 in Atlanta
tarheels.live/servc/regist...
Southeastern Regional Virology Conference: April 24-26 in Atlanta
Abstract Submission & Registration – Southeastern Regional Virology Conference
tarheels.live
January 18, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Abstract submission is open for SERVC 2026! Deadline Feb 16:
tarheels.live/servc/regist...
Southeastern Regional Virology Conference: April 24-26 in Atlanta
tarheels.live/servc/regist...
Southeastern Regional Virology Conference: April 24-26 in Atlanta
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Nature-based valentines for sale: topatoco.com/collections/...
Nature Valentines Cards
Nature Valentines Cards - Art by Rosemary Mosco and Bird and Moon at TopatoCo!
topatoco.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Nature-based valentines for sale: topatoco.com/collections/...
Reposted by Helen Lazear
The American Society for Virology (ASV) is dedicated to advancing knowledge of viruses and the diseases they cause. ASV does not support the scaling back of the childhood vaccine schedule recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. See our statement attached.
January 13, 2026 at 7:54 PM
The American Society for Virology (ASV) is dedicated to advancing knowledge of viruses and the diseases they cause. ASV does not support the scaling back of the childhood vaccine schedule recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. See our statement attached.
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Congratulations to MD-PhD student, Amanda Velez and all co-authors on our new PNAS paper describing how the innate immune protein calprotectin incapacitates autolysins, inducing tolerance to B-lactam antibiotics. A fun collaboration with Thomas Kehl-Fie. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
January 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Congratulations to MD-PhD student, Amanda Velez and all co-authors on our new PNAS paper describing how the innate immune protein calprotectin incapacitates autolysins, inducing tolerance to B-lactam antibiotics. A fun collaboration with Thomas Kehl-Fie. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Interested in how infections cause seizures? Then, read on! We discovered that Toxoplasma selectively eliminates inhibitory synapses in brain. You will study how these synapses are removed. Please send brief review of research interests and goals, CV, and names of 3 refs to: [email protected].
January 14, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Interested in how infections cause seizures? Then, read on! We discovered that Toxoplasma selectively eliminates inhibitory synapses in brain. You will study how these synapses are removed. Please send brief review of research interests and goals, CV, and names of 3 refs to: [email protected].
Reposted by Helen Lazear
📢 Attention undergrads & first-year med students! Apply now for Fred Hutch’s 8-week Summer Internship on Infectious Diseases in the Imunocompromised Host! Hands-on research + expert mentorship in state-of-the-art labs.
🦠 Apply by Jan. 30, 2026: https://bit.ly/48K89SV
🦠 Apply by Jan. 30, 2026: https://bit.ly/48K89SV
January 10, 2026 at 5:40 PM
📢 Attention undergrads & first-year med students! Apply now for Fred Hutch’s 8-week Summer Internship on Infectious Diseases in the Imunocompromised Host! Hands-on research + expert mentorship in state-of-the-art labs.
🦠 Apply by Jan. 30, 2026: https://bit.ly/48K89SV
🦠 Apply by Jan. 30, 2026: https://bit.ly/48K89SV
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Why do some people become severely ill from infections that leave others unscathed?
go.nature.com/457vTOK
go.nature.com/457vTOK
The infection enigma: why some people die from typically harmless germs
Millions of people worldwide carry genetic mutations that weaken their immune system.
go.nature.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Why do some people become severely ill from infections that leave others unscathed?
go.nature.com/457vTOK
go.nature.com/457vTOK
Reposted by Helen Lazear
.@fredhutch.org is seeking applications for the 8th Annual Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholar Award which recognizes outstanding postdoctoral fellows from any discipline who are conducting cancer, infectious disease or basic science research. Learn more and apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/176955
December 28, 2025 at 5:10 PM
.@fredhutch.org is seeking applications for the 8th Annual Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholar Award which recognizes outstanding postdoctoral fellows from any discipline who are conducting cancer, infectious disease or basic science research. Learn more and apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/176955
Reposted by Helen Lazear
CSV2026 is happening May 31–June 4, 2026 at the University of Guelph!
Join researchers from across Canada for four days of scientific presentations and networking!
🔬 Call for abstracts now open!
📝 Register today
🌐 www.CSVsymposium.ca
Join researchers from across Canada for four days of scientific presentations and networking!
🔬 Call for abstracts now open!
📝 Register today
🌐 www.CSVsymposium.ca
January 6, 2026 at 9:39 PM
CSV2026 is happening May 31–June 4, 2026 at the University of Guelph!
Join researchers from across Canada for four days of scientific presentations and networking!
🔬 Call for abstracts now open!
📝 Register today
🌐 www.CSVsymposium.ca
Join researchers from across Canada for four days of scientific presentations and networking!
🔬 Call for abstracts now open!
📝 Register today
🌐 www.CSVsymposium.ca
Reposted by Helen Lazear
Post-doc job alert! Please share with anyone who might be interested! @amersocvirology.bsky.social #virology #virosky #evolution
January 8, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Post-doc job alert! Please share with anyone who might be interested! @amersocvirology.bsky.social #virology #virosky #evolution
Reposted by Helen Lazear
We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...
Opportunity Details - Faculty Opportunities
facultyopportunities.wustl.edu
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...
