Curt Horvath, PhD Academic Title: Soretta&Henry Shapiro Research Professor, Molecular Biosciences; Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Member of: Signal Transduction in Cancer Email: horvath@northwestern.edu Publications:(54) View Publications Listing Cancer Focused Research:
Research in the Horvath lab focuses on cytokine signal transduction, gene regulation in normal and cancer cells, and interactions between human cells and pathogenic viruses, Current projects in the laboratory include investigations of the intracellular innate immune sensors for virus infection and their action in signaling cytokine gene expression. Complementarily, we also study a large family of negative strand RNA viruses that use proteinaceous inhibitors to interfere with the antiviral system in the host. The point and counterpoint between cellular response and viral antagonism is a fascinating evolutionarily driven process that underlies much of our investigation. In addition, we have been characterizing new paradigms in gene expression induced by influenza virus infections including a basic component conducted in my lab to look at cellular micro RNAs that are altered in response to virus infection and a clinical component that is conducted by Dr. Pedro Avila (FSOM, Allergy) to examine altered gene expression in patients presenting with influenza virus infections. We are actively investigating the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in activation of gene expression in the innate antiviral system, focusing on the type 1 interferon cluster, an important locus for immunity and cancer biology.