Larissa Laine, Ph.D
Dr. Laine received her Ph.D in parasitology and biochemistry from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. She studied the biochemical, structural, and functional properties of the Plasmodium falciparum pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. She is now a post-doctoral researcher in Dr. Pamela
Österlund’s group, which studies the initial responses of human cells to highly pathogenic and emerging viruses. The group is also part of the CrossBar consortia, which aims to understand how zoonotic viruses evolve to cross into new host species. Dr. Laine initially studied the replication and innate immune activation patterns of various SARS-CoV-2 variants. The research highlighted a delayed interferon response in cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. She is now investigating the role of coronavirus nucleocapsid proteins from various species in the antagonism of host innate immune signaling pathways and its importance in viral host switch.