Helen Lazear, PhD

 Helen was a postdoc in the Diamond Lab from 2009-2015. Helen’s work in the Diamond Lab focused on innate immune mechanisms that control West Nile virus pathogenesis, including investigating a role for interferon lambda (IFN-λ) in restricting West Nile virus neuroinvasion by tightening the blood-brain barrier. As a postdoc, Helen worked to develop experimental systems to study obscure flaviviruses with the potential to emerge as significant pathogens, which became useful during the 2015-2016 Zika virus pandemic. Now an Associate Professor in the Microbiology & Immunology Department at UNC Chapel Hill, Helen’s research focuses on IFN-λ mediated antiviral immunity in the context of congenital infections and skin infections, as well as viral and host factors that control the host range and tropism of neuroinvasive and emerging flaviviruses. 

Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/helen.lazear.1/bibliography/40027782/public/ 

Diamond Lab Postdoc: 2009-2015