Orangutans

New broad-spectrum antiviral protein can inhibit HIV, other pathogens in some primates

Jan. 18, 2017

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered that a protein-coding gene called Schlafen11 (SLFN11) may induce a broad-spectrum cellular response against infection by viruses including HIV-1. The new research, which was recently published in the journal PLOS Pathogens , found that SLFN11's antiviral potency is highest in non-human primate species...

BioFrontiers' Sara Sawyer discovered that a gene in S. cerevisiae and multiple other Saccharomyces yeast species appears to rapidly evolve to recognize and destroy attacking viruses.

Yeast gene rapidly evolves to attack viruses

Oct. 6, 2016

Humans have used Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast in baking, brewing and winemaking for millennia. New research from the University of Idaho and the University of Colorado Boulder reveals another way that yeast species can help our species: by demonstrating how viruses interact with their hosts, and how hosts may evolve to...

Sara Sawyer recently joined BioFrontiers. Now that the dust is settling in her lab, she's back to focusing on zoonotic diseases.

Using evolution to fight disease

June 25, 2015

New BioFrontiers lab uses evolution to fight disease by Paul McDivitt Photo: Sara Sawyer Ebola comes from bats, HIV from primates, and new strains of influenza from birds and pigs. With zoonotic diseases – those capable of transmission from animals to humans – grabbing headlines across the globe, understanding how...

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