The best defence is a good understanding: improving immune responses in chronic viral infection

Pathogens that cause chronic infection are able to disrupt the immune response such that the immune system is unable to clear the infection or form effective immune memory. Effective immune memory provides long-lasting protection against repeated pathogen exposure and is a hallmark of highly successful vaccines. The goal of my research is to identify the molecular mechanisms mediating memory B cell formation and reveal how effective B cell-mediated immunity is subverted during chronic viral infection.