Two back-to-back "Nature Immunology" reveal the details of chronically infected patients "exhausted" immune cells

A study led by Dr.

Lauer said: "We have seen some improvements on the surface of T cells.

"We are currently investigating whether direct antiviral treatment of HCV should be used in the acute phase of infection, leading to complete memory differentiation of T cells

In addition, researchers have discovered that molecules expressed in severely depleted T cells may be the hope of saving these cells

Another supplementary study in Nature Immunology led by Dr.

By comparing a series of T cell responses that were effectively cleared (such as the flu) or turned into chronic viruses (such as HCV and HIV), the scientists drew a picture showing where these exhausted scars occurred

The two studies were conducted at the U19 Collaborative Center for Human Immunization (CCHI) funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institutes of Health at MGH

The third study by MGH CCHI researchers at the University of Pennsylvania on depleted T cells was published together with these two articles in " Nature Immunology

Pierre Tonnerre, David Wolski, Sonu Subudhi, Jihad Aljabban, Ruben C.

Kathleen B.