Benjamin R. Morehouse, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Office 520A Steinhaus Hall
Phone: 949-824-4845
The Morehouse lab studies the evolution and diversification of antiviral immunity. Many of the innate immune defenses employed by plants and animals are surprisingly conserved in bacteria and archaea. Identifying and characterizing the immune processes that are shared among diverse organisms may be useful in developing new therapeutic strategies to protect us from pathogenic microbes. The Morehouse lab is particularly focused on the enzymes, chemical signals, and receptors that mediate antiviral responses across the tree of life and aims to use protein structural analysis and biochemical approaches to improve our molecular understanding of these ancient immune signaling pathways.
IFI Research Focus Area(s): Host Defense and Vaccine Development
Cyclic nucleotide signaling molecules, innate immunity, bacterial antiphage defense, enzymology, structural biology, natural products biosynthesis