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Date of this Version

7-1-2019

Citation

Nature Immunology VOL 20 JULY 2019, 775

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-019-0428-8

Comments

U.S. government work

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.

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