|
|
| Name |
Chisari, Francis V. |
| Location
|
Scripps Research |
| Primary Field
|
Microbial Biology |
| Secondary Field
|
Immunology and Inflammation |
 Election Citation
|
|
Chisari is a microbiologist who studies host-virus interactions in mammals. He defined the virological and immunological basis for viral clearance, disease pathogenesis, and hepatocarcinogenesis during hepatitis B virus infection. His discovery that HBV clearance can be mediated by noncytolytic immune effector mechanisms represents a major paradigm shift in viral immunology, and it has paved the way for immunotherapy of this disease. |
|
Research Interests
|
|
As a physician-scientist, I am interested in the immunological basis for viral clearance and disease pathogenesis during persistent viral infections, the signaling pathways and effector molecules that mediate these antiviral effects, and the viral evasion strategies that subvert them. Using the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) as models, my laboratory demonstrated that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) secrete antiviral cytokines that inhibit viral replication without killing the infected cells, thus controlling the infection while preserving the vital functions of the infected tissue, establishing new paradigm in viral pathogenesis and immunobiology. Further, we demonstrated that, in the absence of these noncytolytic antiviral functions, the cytolytic function of the CTL response triggers chronic immune-mediated liver injury and inflammation that result in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Collectively, these studies provide a scientific basis for the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for prevention and treatment of chronic viral infection. |
|
|
|