Artem Arutyunov
Program: Neurosciences
Current advisor: Robyn S. Klein, MD, PhD
Undergraduate university: Moscow State University
Research summary
I am a member of Dr. Robyn Klein’s laboratory, where I study the effects of aging on the pathogenesis of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection. Elderly individuals are much more likely to develop neuroinvasive disease following WNV infection compared to their younger counterparts, most of which are asymptomatic or experience a mild flu-like febrile illness. In collaboration with Dr. Michael Diamond’s laboratory at Washington University, we are trying to understand the mechanistic underpinnings mediating the severity of WNV disease in the elderly. In addition to potentially leading to better treatment and prevention of WNV infection, this research can provide further insights into the mechanisms of immunosenescence in general, particularly in the central nervous system.
Graduate publications
Funk KE, Arutyunov AD, Desai P, White JP, Soung AL, Rosen SF, Diamond MS, Klein RS. 2021 Decreased antiviral immune response within the central nervous system of aged mice is associated with increased lethality of West Nile virus encephalitis. Aging Cell, 20(8):e13412.