In a new article with Kevin Groen, we review the most recent scientific developments relating to autoantibodies targeting type I interferons and their impacts on severe viral disease: doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Increased prevalence of #autoantibodies neutralizing IFNλ2/3 in young individuals with #CysticFibrosis. New report from Kevin Groen, Emanuela Bruscia, Marc Emmenegger, Benjamin Hale @benhale.bsky.social and colleagues: rupress.org/jhi/article/... #Autoimmunity #Infections

Happy to join @jem.org as an Associate Editor for 2026 and to contribute to the journal’s publishing process and community!

Groen, @benhale.bsky.social et al. @virology.uzh.ch identify interferon-λ #autoantibodies in 11.8% of those with #CysticFibrosis, a prevalence >10-fold higher than expected. In vitro & clinical analyses suggest the antibodies may impact mucosal pathology. rupress.org/jhi/article/...

Type I interferon autoantibody footprints reveal neutralizing mechanisms and allow inhibitory decoy design. From Kevin Groen, Benjamin Hale (@benhale.bsky.social) and colleagues 👉 rupress.org/jem/article/... 📘 Part of 2025: The Year in Experimental Medicine rupress.org/jem/collecti... #Autoimmunity

Nice to see our study led by Kevin Groen included in the 2025 ‘Best of JEM’. We dissected the mechanisms by which pathogenic autoantibodies block IFN-I function and used the information to design decoy molecules that might form the basis for future therapies. rupress.org/jem/article/...

How does fever work? Our new Science paper shows how elevated body temperature can protect against severe influenza and that avian-origin viruses escape this defence. This is likely one reason why bird flus and some pandemic influenzas can be so severe.🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

I very much enjoyed my time in St Andrews, Scotland as a PhD student. If I was still considered an Early-Career Researcher just starting my own laboratory (in my head, I am!), I would certainly be interested in this fellowship opportunity...

Thank-you @casanovalab.bsky.social for the kind invitation to be a participant at your celebratory Novo Nordisk Prize Symposium. I appreciated being able to present alongside a great array of leading researchers, & to meet so many welcoming people in the field of Inborn Errors of Immunity! Congrats!

'TRIM28 is a target for paramyxovirus V proteins'. Work led by Gauthier Lieber seeks to address whether host activation of endogenous retroelements contributes to antiviral defences. In support of this idea, he describes a viral mechanism that might limit this host response. doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Regulated localization of transposable element #RNA during #influenza A #virus #infection. -> www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

Now in press: Marie Lork & our collaborators studied host transposable elements during influenza A virus infection. We found evidence that some produce dsRNA, but that these host dsRNAs are limited from reaching the cytosol by the viral NS1 protein. @emboreports.org www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....

A nice photo from last week’s ’Celebration of 50 years of Virology’ in St Andrews - marking a milestone in the distinguished career of Rick Randall - a great virologist, colleague and friend - congratulations Rick!

Anti-interferon autoantibodies are always on my mind....even at Easter!

Type I interferon autoantibody footprints reveal neutralizing mechanisms and allow inhibitory decoy design. New study from Kevin Groen, Benjamin Hale (@benhale.bsky.social) and colleagues @virology.uzh.ch: rupress.org/jem/article/... #Autoimmunity #Immunodeficiency #InfectiousDisease

An atlas of protein phosphorylation dynamics during interferon signaling @benhale.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A follow up on @benhale.bsky.social and colleagues' research published in @jem.org : How "decoy molecules" intercept harmful auto-antibodies, restoring antiviral immunity. www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/...

AutoAbs neutralizing IFN-Is exacerbate severe viral diseases. Groen, @benhale.bsky.social et al. @virology.uzh.ch identify IFN-I regions commonly targeted by these autoAbs and develop a proof-of-concept decoy strategy to alleviate pathogenic effects. rupress.org/jem/article/...

Interferon research has a long history at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Charles Weissmann, Professor of Molecular Biology, led the group that first cloned interferon genes. This allowed large-scale production and facilitated the medical use of interferon. @uzh-ch.bsky.social

In our most recent work, Kevin Groen from the lab made AIR cells for rapid & sensitive functional detection of interferon types I, II & III. AIR cells can be used with a live cell luciferase substrate, are highly sensitive & can detect autoantibodies neutralising interferons. doi.org/10.1002/eji....

Congratulations to Samira Schiefer from the lab whose use of proximity proteomics to comprehensively survey and characterise the type I interferon signalling pathway has just been published. Many new associations found. www.nature.com/articles/s41...