By Christin Senior | May 9, 2023 1:04 pm
UCF College of Medicine, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences Assistant Professor Tara Strutt worked with Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. candidate Mishfak A.M. Mansoor to develop the immunotherapy treatment to target respiratory viral infections.


A College of Medicine researcher has developed a new, more precise treatment for a major cause of illness around the world each year — acute respiratory viral infections.

Acute respiratory viral infections include sicknesses such as the flu, pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and coronavirus. These infections cause millions of illnesses worldwide, with the flu alone responsible for 3 million to 5 million cases of severe illness and up to 650,000 respiratory deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.

The new treatment, developed by Dr. Tara Strutt, an assistant professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, uses immune system-related proteins known as cytokines in a controlled, targeted manner to fight infections and promote healing.

“Interventions that can improve the outcome of serious viral infection without interfering with effective anti-viral immune responses are urgently needed,” says Tara Strutt, an assistant professor in the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences within UCF’s College of Medicine, who developed the treatment.

See full story on UCF Today.

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