LSU and Pennington Biomedical’s Stephania Cormier serves as Frontiers in Immunology Topic Editor on “How RSV Outsmarts the Host”

LSU and Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Dr. Stephania Cormier joined colleagues Dr. Lawrence Kauvar of Trellis Bioscience Inc. and Dr. Ralph Tripp of the University of Georgia as topic editors on the Frontiers in Immunology research collaboration, “How RSV Outsmarts the Host,” focusing on challenges surrounding Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV.

RSV is a respiratory pathogen that causes respiratory tract disease in approximately 64 million people worldwide and results in 160,000 deaths annually.

Frontiers in Immunology recently published four notable articles prepared by 59 authors from four countries:

1. “Development and comparison of immunologic assays to detect primary RSV infections in infants” by Anderson et al.;
2. “Determinants of immunoglobulin G responses to respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus in children and adults,” by Guillien et al.;
3. “Lung ILC2s are activated in BALB/c mice born to immunized mothers despite complete protection against respiratory syncytial virus,” by Kosanovich et al.;
4. “Respiratory syncytial virus NS1 inhibits anti-viral Interferon-α-induced JAK/STAT signaling, by limiting the nuclear translocation of STAT1” by Efstathiou et al.

Cormier, along with Kauvar and Tripp, served as guest editors to lead an RSV research topic hub for the journal. This editorial team oversaw the entire process, from initial proposals to calls for participation, peer review, and final publications.

Cormier serves as Associate Vice President for Health & Human Security in the LSU Office of Research and Economic Development, Wiener Chair and Professor of Biological Sciences at LSU, Director of the LSU Superfund Research Program, and Professor of Pulmonary Immunology and Toxicology at Pennington Biomedical.

“How RSV Outsmarts the Host” reveals a complex interplay between the virus and host immune responses. Development of therapeutics and vaccines has been hindered by limited understanding of age-dependent differences in immune responses and by gaps in knowledge of infants’ prior RSV infection status,” the topic editors wrote in their Frontiers in Immunology editorial. 

Frontiers' research topics are collaborative hubs built around emerging themes. Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring scientific and medical communities together around shared areas of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is a campus in the LSU System. 

The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 530 employees within a network of 44 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is a globally recognized state-of-the-art research institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  

For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.