Seton Hall Students Present Research at American Society for Virology  

Seton Hall University graduate students Jesse Coutu and Michael Beaury presented their research at the 35th Annual American Society for Virology National meeting at Virginia Tech University. The conference was held from June 18th-June 22nd and featured virology research from some of the top research institutions in the United States.

Both Jesse and Michael are mentored by Dr. Daniel Brian Nichols in the Department of Biological Sciences. Their research focuses on immune evasion strategies of the human poxvirus Molluscum Contagiosum Virus (MCV). MCV is the third most prevalent virus infection of the skin. With the eradication of smallpox, MCV remains the only poxvirus that exclusively infects humans. The virus produces benign skin lesions that can persist for months to years. In immunocompromised individuals, MC lesions can grow very large and are extremely difficult to remove. No FDA approved cure exists to treat MCV infections. As a result, current treatment options remain extremely limited. Therefore, there is a great need for continued MCV research.

The focus of Jesse and Michael’s research is to determine how MCV persists in patients. By employing a variety of molecular techniques, Jesse Coutu has identified a new function for an MCV protein called MC163. His research demonstrated that expression of MC163 prevents host cells from inducing death pathways, a potent cellular defense against virus infection. Michael’s research focuses on the established MCV protein MC160. Michael has identified a novel mechanism by which expression of the MC160 protein dampens an antiviral signaling pathway. Presumably, expression of both proteins during a virus infection provides MCV a means to suppress host immune responses and establish persistent infections.

Jesse Coutu has completed his Master’s degree at Seton Hall and has been accepted at Oregon State University where he will continue virology research in pursuit of his Ph.D. Michael Beaury is currently completing his Ph.D. requirements at Seton Hall University. Both projects were funded in part by the University Research Council Grant to Dr. Nichols in the 2014-2015 academic year.