Herpesviruses can remain hidden in the body for a lifetime, creating a persistent challenge for medicine. This family of viruses causes illnesses ranging from cold sores and chickenpox to serious complications and certain cancers. Current antiviral medicines can control active infections but cannot eliminate dormant viruses, underscoring the need for new approaches.
A new grant will help Assistant Professor Nir Drayman at UC Irvine’s Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences investigate how the body’s own defenses could point toward better treatments. The $330,000 award from the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation will support a four-year collaboration between Drayman’s laboratory and Professor Noam Stern-Ginossar’s laboratory at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science. Weizmann researcher Dr. Michal Schwartz is also an investigator on the project.
The team will study proteins that human cells naturally produce to fight infection, focusing on those capable of blocking several different herpesviruses. By learning how these defenses interrupt infection at different stages, the researchers hope to uncover new opportunities to stop the viruses from multiplying.
These discoveries could lay the groundwork for treatments that work against multiple herpesviruses, potentially improving care for people vulnerable to serious complications, including organ transplant recipients. Understanding the defenses these viruses encounter could help researchers address a long-standing obstacle: their ability to evade the body’s protections and persist for decades.
By supporting fundamental research and international scientific partnerships, policymakers and the public can help advance discoveries like these toward more effective treatments and healthier futures.