New Research Refutes Long-Held Antiviral Theory

A long-standing belief that mammals use the same potent antiviral molecules deployed by plants and invertebrates is being challenged by researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Their findings, published in the July 10, 2014, issue of Cell Reports, surprised many scientists who assumed that antiviral RNA Interference (RNAi) exists in humans as a natural result of evolution.

Scientists know that human cells, like cells in every living organism with a nucleus, encode and generate small RNAs, which influence our genetics. It is also known that mammals combat viruses with interferons—proteins manufactured by immune cells in response to pathogens.

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Renowned Microbiologist Peter Palese, PhD, Honored

Peter Palese, PhD, a world-renowned microbiologist who has led seminal studies that continue to greatly expand the understanding of influenza viruses, was recently named a member of the 2014 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The organization is one of the nation’s most acclaimed honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research. It includes among its current members more than 250 Nobel Laureates across disciplines and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.

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