Rare Immune Deficiency Yields Superpower: A Path to Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Therapy
2025-08-25
Columbia University immunologist Dusan Bogunovic discovered that individuals with a rare immune deficiency, ISG15 deficiency, exhibit resistance to all viruses due to persistent mild inflammation. Inspired by this, he developed an experimental therapy that, by delivering mRNA encoding 10 antiviral proteins to the lungs of animals, successfully prevented replication of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. This therapy holds promise as a significant weapon in the next pandemic, but optimization of drug delivery and absorption is still needed to improve efficacy and duration.
Read more