Public Health Resources
Date of this Version
7-1-2019
Citation
Nature Immunology VOL 20 JULY 2019, 775
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-019-0428-8
Abstract
Ion Gresser, a virologist who transformed understanding of the roles of interferons, may be best remembered for showing that in mice, interferon-α (IFN-α) can produce acute and chronic disease. At the time Gresser began these studies, interferon was considered to be a selective antiviral substance, harmless to uninfected cells and organisms, and there was no indication that cytokines would play a role in pathogenesis. That belief was shattered with the 1975 Nature publication with the simple title “Lethality of interferon preparations for newborn mice.” Gresser subsequently demonstrated that antibodies to IFN-α can protect young mice from death caused by infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. This study can be considered a stepping-stone for the therapeutic application of antibodies to cytokines in the treatment of human disease, which was introduced much later and revolutionized the management of some autoimmune diseases.
Comments
U.S. government work