The respiratory virus HMPV uses its fusion (F) protein – which interacts with cellular receptors called integrins – to bind to and enter target cells.

Viruses that cause acute respiratory infections — such as human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and flu — impair a set of immune system cells that should clear the virus from the lungs. Now, Vanderbilt University investigators have discovered the signaling pathway that disables these immune cells.

A new viral protein structure could jump-start vaccine development for two leading causes of lower respiratory disease in children and elderly adults.

New details about the life cycle of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) could aid the development of therapies to combat this leading cause of serious illness in infants and the elderly.

Antibodies to the 2009 H1N1 influenza strain reveal new insights into how antibody diversity forms and functions, with possible implications for designing flu vaccines.