Sep 28, 2020
Professor Michael Betts
articulates the dramatic directions our human immune system can
take responding to viral pathogenesis. He studies how humans combat
viral pathogens and diseases through adaptive immune responses like
T and B cell activity.
He shares his perspective on virus capabilities with lively and
clear language as Richard asks questions for his upcoming virus
book project.
Listeners will learn
- Why the primary goal of viral replication leads to a variety of fascinating shapes and virus mechanics,
- How some viruses have a hit-and-run strategy and others want to set up shop and stay, and
- What he sees as the most fascinating types of viruses and why.
Michael Betts is a professor of
microbiology with the Penn Institute for Immunology Studies in the
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He
researches the human
immune response against viruses in relation to HIV infection
and SARS-CoV-2 by focusing on T cell function.
He is able to use his expertise to add interesting perspective to
the pathogenesis or protective human immune response. He is able to
use examples for his extensive HIV studies to elaborate on how our
immune system reacts to all that viruses can send our
way.
As they move into Richard's
questions to get at virus characteristics, Dr. Betts gives his take
on whether viruses are alive and why they have evolved to have such
a variety of interesting shapes. He describes some of his favorites
and adds that while the shapes differ, the strategy is the same.
They've evolved to protect and deliver genetic material into the
cell.
He adds that these different machines act like spring-loaded
mechanisms, and once they get the proper trigger and deliver the
genetic payload, we see consequential downstream effects. Even
eukaryotic infections, he adds, that are even more complex have
this goal—HIV has a wrapper that induces protein confirmation
change and shoots the genetic material into the cell. He describes
other fascinating examples of
viral pathogens in humans as he answers Richard's questions,
filling in more details about the vast world of
viruses.
For more about his work, see his
lab's website: bettslab.org.
Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK