C. M. Smith

ciliR: a new R package for determining ciliary beat frequency using fast-Fourier transformation.

ciliR is an R package that measures ciliary beat frequency using fast-Fourier transformation, validated against manual counting and other methods, showing comparable accuracy.

Lung viral infection modelling in a bioengineered whole-organ

This paper develops a bioreactor-based whole-organ lung model to study viral infections and demonstrates its use for testing antiviral drugs like Remdesivir.

The emergence of goblet inflammatory or ITGB6hi nasal progenitor cells determines age-associated SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis

The study identifies age-related differences in nasal epithelial cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, showing distinct progenitor cell dynamics in children and elderly.

Differential requirement for IRGM proteins during tuberculosis infection in mice

This study shows that Irgm1 is critical for host defense against Mtb, but Irgm3 compensates for its loss, and combined loss of all three Irgm genes leads to worse outcomes in mice infected with Mtb.

Genome-wide co-essentiality analysis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals an itaconate defense enzyme module

The paper uses co-essentiality analysis of TnSeq data to identify gene modules in Mtb, focusing on an itaconate defense enzyme cluster and proposing novel functional associations.

Trans-epithelial migration is essential for neutrophil activation during RSV infection

This study shows that trans-epithelial migration is necessary for neutrophil activation during RSV infection, with three phases of neutrophil behavior identified.

Phosphatidylserine binding regulates TIM-3 effects on T cell receptor signaling

This study shows TIM-3 promotes NF-κB signaling and IL-2 secretion in Jurkat cells through phosphatidylserine binding, clarifying its role as a co-stimulatory receptor.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis transposon sequencing database (MtbTnDB): a large-scale guide to genetic conditional essentiality

The paper builds MtbTnDB, a database of Mtb TnSeq screens, enabling comparison of genetic essentiality across conditions and analysis of gene function.

The FDA-approved drug Alectinib compromises SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphorylation and inhibits viral infection in vitro

This study identifies Alectinib as an FDA-approved drug that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphorylation and viral replication in vitro by targeting host kinases.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis evasion of Guanylate Binding Protein-mediated host defense in mice requires the ESX1 secretion system.

This study shows that Mycobacterium tuberculosis evades GBP-mediated immunity in mice via the ESX1 secretion system, unlike M. bovis BCG which is directly restricted by GBPs.

Cell-intrinsic differences between human airway epithelial cells from children and adults

The paper compares airway epithelial cells from children and adults, finding intrinsic differences in transcriptional profiles and regenerative capacity.

High-content screening for rare respiratory diseases: readthrough therapy in primary ciliary dyskinesia

The paper develops a high-content screening method using differentiated respiratory epithelium from PCD patients to evaluate readthrough therapies for rare respiratory diseases.

Neutrophil: Airway Epithelial Interactions Result in Increased Epithelial Damage and Viral Clearance during RSV Infection

This study shows that neutrophils enhance RSV clearance but increase airway epithelial damage through mechanisms involving activation, degranulation, and apoptosis.

Functionally overlapping variants control TB susceptibility in Collaborative Cross mice

The paper identifies multiple genetic loci associated with tuberculosis susceptibility in Collaborative Cross mice, including a loss-of-function mutation in Itgal that impairs T cell recruitment.

The Phagocyte Oxidase Controls Tolerance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

This study shows that the Phox complex promotes tolerance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection by preventing uncontrolled Caspase1 activation and neutrophil influx.