We are delighted to congratulate Cytokine Society member Dr. Adriana Forero on receiving the highly competitive Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) Award. This prestigious $505,000 five-year award recognizes exceptional researchers with demonstrated potential to advance our understanding of infectious disease pathogenesis, with a current success rate of only 8.3%. Dr. Forero, along with her colleague Dr. Fernanda Novais at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, was selected from a national pool of outstanding candidates for their innovative research bridging molecular immunology, transcriptional regulation, and clinical genetics.
Groundbreaking Research at the Interface of Development and Immunity
Dr. Forero’s awarded project, “Resident nuclear factors drive heterogeneity in the antiviral response,” addresses a fundamental question in host defense: How do mutations in transcriptional regulators that guide tissue development affect epithelial cells’ ability to mount effective antiviral responses? Her research emerged from an unexpected observation that when epithelial cells lose their capacity for robust antiviral responses, this deficiency coincides with disruptions in nuclear factors that maintain cellular identity and developmental programs. This discovery suggests that immune readiness may be encoded within the baseline transcriptional architecture of cells, even before pathogen encounter.
The work represents a paradigm shift in understanding immune heterogeneity. Rather than viewing variable antiviral responses as random biological noise, Dr. Forero’s findings demonstrate that immune readiness is structured and driven by underlying transcriptional architecture. Her research reveals that genetic mutations in key nuclear regulators can fundamentally shape immune responses long before infection occurs, providing crucial insights into why certain genetic variants predispose individuals to increased viral susceptibility.
Clinical Relevance and Therapeutic Implications
This research holds particular significance for precision medicine approaches to infectious disease. By taking a genetics-first approach to immunology, Dr. Forero’s team is not only defining how transcriptional regulators shape immune responses but also identifying potential therapeutic targets to support individuals with elevated infection risk due to genetic variation. The work provides a mechanistic framework for understanding how baseline differences in nuclear transcriptional landscapes determine cellular responses to infection and antiviral cytokines, with direct implications for interferon signaling pathways central to antiviral immunity.
For the ICIS community, this project exemplifies the power of integrative approaches that span cytokine gene expression and signaling, interferon biology, and infection immunity. Dr. Forero’s identification of resident nuclear factors as gatekeepers that prime or restrict antiviral responses opens new avenues for understanding immune heterogeneity at the tissue level and developing targeted interventions for infection-prone populations.
Recognition at Cytokines 2025
Dr. Forero will be presenting her PATH Award-winning research at Cytokines 2025 in Seattle, where attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about these exciting findings and their implications for the field. We encourage all members to congratulate Dr. Forero on this outstanding achievement when you see her at the meeting. Her success represents the innovative, cross-disciplinary research that defines excellence in cytokine biology and reflects the caliber of scientific leadership within our Society.
This recognition by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund underscores the critical importance of understanding how developmental transcriptional programs intersect with immune function—a research area poised to yield transformative insights for both fundamental immunology and clinical applications in infectious disease prevention and treatment.