Upon infection of the liver with the hepatitis C virus, the majority of infected individuals show no signs of infection which silently progresses into a chronic state, impairing liver function and provoking the development of liver cancer. The ability to clear this infection differs between patients and is strongly dependent on their genetic background, in particular on one gene, which encodes an antiviral protein called interferon-?4.

During her PhD studies, Ewa Terczy?ska-Dyla investigated the function of interferon-?4 to determine its role in disease development. Surprisingly, the research shows that patients possessing the more active form of interferon-?4 are more likely to fail the treatment than those individuals who do not have interferon-?4 or those that only possess the less active form. These new research findings demonstrate that even an antiviral protein, which is meant to help us combat the infection, can have a detrimental effect in certain diseases. The study contributes to the understanding of how our immune system fights the viral infection and helps to identify patients, who are difficult to cure from the disease and who therefore require special treatment.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

This résumé is prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday 4 September 2015 at 13.00
Place: Building 3130, room 303, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10C, Aarhus University
Title of dissertation: Functional studies of interferon ?4 and the high affinity chain of the type III interferon receptor complex
Contact information: Ewa Terczy?ska-Dyla, e-mail: ewat@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 5276 8464
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Jens Bukh, Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor, Managing director, Grant Gallagher, Institute for Biomarker Research, Rowan University, USA
Associate Professor, Ernst-Martin Füchtbauer (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Rune Hartmann, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University
Language: The dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, room 112, 8000 Aarhus C.