Regulation of antiviral inflammation through reactive oxygen species localisation

Influenza causes 5,000,000 cases of severe illness annually, but we still don't know to which extent disease is caused by direct viral damage or an excessive immune response. A poorly regulated response will lead to inflammatory tissue damage and pathology. Therefore, regulation of inflammation is vital. Recently, I showed that local production of 'reactive oxygen species' (ROS) suppresses excessive inflammation in bacterial and fungal lung infections and that size-sensing is crucial to this response. I now wish to extend my expertise to investigate influenza virus infection and examine the cellular localisation of ROS production during influenza infection. This area is unexplored at present, but could have a profound impact on antiviral inflammation. By studying ROS during viral infection, I will be able to show how ROS control antiviral inflammation and virus clearance. This programme could ultimately lead to new therapeutic approaches targeting novel signalling pathways in patients with severe influenza.