Controlling Access to the Brain: Fine-Tuning Permeability of the Blood-Brain Barrier

Executive Summary

Previous efforts to fully understand molecular changes that alter the integrity of the blood-brain barrier have been hampered by a lack of technology capable of studying changes at the cellular and molecular level. We will leverage emerging technology to perform a molecular characterization of the brain during infection, providing insight into the mechanisms of blood-brain barrier disruption that can then inform drug discovery efforts aimed at the eventual goal of a tunable blood-brain barrier.

Publications, Presentations, and Patents

Hum, N. R., F. A. Bourguet, A. Sebastian, D. Lam, A. M. Phillips, K. R. Sanchez, A. Rasley, G. G. Loots, and D. R. Weilhammer. 2022. "MAVS Mediates a Protective Immune Response in the Brain to Rift Valley Fever Virus." PLoS Pathog 18 (5):e1010231. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010231.