Peak performance!

Our colleague Martin has recently defended his doctoral thesis on an interesting aspect of SARS-CoV-2 biology. In his work, Martin elucidated the expression, immunogenicity and function of the viral protein ORF3c. He uncovered its role as an immunomodulatory factor that inhibits the innate immune response by targeting the signaling molecule MAVS, leading to reduced interferon production. Notably, he was the first to show that this protein is expressed in coronavirus-infected cells. For his excellent work, Martin was also awarded the ‘Best Paper of the Season Award’ by the Young Society for Virology, Germany (jGfV). His new degree is definitely well deserved and we all congratulate him on this important milestone in his career!