Introduction
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) pose a major threat to the human population, contributing to over 36,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. The Hensley laboratory uses basic virology and immunology techniques to understand how seasonal IAVs escape pre-existing immune responses.
In particular, the laboratory is interested in how seasonal influenza changes from year-to-year, as proteins on the surface of the virus accumulate mutations, a phenomena known as antigenic drift. Since antigenic drift is often unpredictable, one goal of the Hensley laboratory is to create a universal flu vaccine that will essentially attack viral coat proteins in places that cannot be easily mutated.
There are three primary research efforts in the Hensley Laboratory:
- Mechanisms of IAV antigenic drift
- Characterization of IAV antibody responses
- Development of a broadly-neutralizing IAV vaccine based on the induction of anti-fusion antibodies
