Activating Innate Immunity

The interface between man and microbe is one of the most important frontiers in science. In 2011, leaders at UT Southwestern established the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense under the direction of Nobel Laureate Bruce Beutler, M.D., to accelerate the discoveries of basic science and their applicability to patients. The fifth UTSW faculty member to win the Nobel Prize, Dr. Beutler was honored for the discovery of receptor proteins that recognize disease-causing agents and activate innate immunity, the first step in the body’s immune response.