Sara Cherry, PhD Associate Professor Department of Microbiology Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania Title: “Using genec approaches to study anviral immunity” Monday, October 28, 2013 Meakins Amphitheatre | Room 521, 12:00 PM McIntyre Medical Sciences Building “Viral pathogens are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in both the developing and developed worlds. Viruses have not only developed highly effecve strategies to hijack cellular machinery and to subvert hosts' immune responses, but they have evolved broad host ranges, spanning arthropods and mammals. For vector‐ borne viruses infecon of the insect host is non‐pathogenic, while infecon of mammals is associated with disease, suggesng that these viruses use different strategies to move through each host. Lile is known about the host factors required for the replicaon cycles of these viruses in either of their host genera, and less is understood about the hosts' innate immune pathways that act to restrict pathogenesis. We are performing genome‐wide RNAi screens in Drosophila cells to idenfy innate immune mechanisms acve against a number of arthropod‐borne viruses including the flaviviruses West Nile virus and Dengue, the bunyavirus Ri Valley Fever virus, the alphavirus Sindbis and the rhabdovirus Vesicular Stomas virus. Our recent studies have revealed genes and pathways that restrict infecon both in insects and mammals and these will be discussed.” This seminar is mandatory for Graduate students LOCATION: McIntyre Medical Sciences Building Room 521, 12:00 PM HOSTED BY: DRS. MAYA SALEH AND SILVIA VIDAL If you would like to book a one‐on‐one meeng with Dr. Cherry, send your request to [email protected] .