Austrian Scientists & Scholars
Our immune system has the remarkable ability to remember past infections. Adaptive immune memory is highly specific and targets previously encountered pathogens. This powerful defense mechanism allows for rapid eradication of familiar pathogens and forms the basis of vaccines. However, some viruses, such as influenza, are constantly changing, which makes adaptive immune memory less effective in preventing disease.
For full abstract and speaker bio, as well as signup link, please see https://ascina.at/innate-immune-memory-how-past-infections-influence-future-diseases/
Alexander Lercher obtained his PhD in immunology from the Medical University Vienna in 2020. In his doctoral thesis, he investigated the crosstalk of viral pathogens, host metabolism and immune responses. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller University in New York, where he studies long-term consequences of infectious diseases. His research particularly focuses on the formation of pathogen-independent innate immune memory, which can influence disease caused by unrelated secondary pathogens.
