Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale / HHMI): The Role of Toll-Like Receptors in the Control of Adaptive Immunity

In this discovery talk, Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov provides a historical perspective that frames his involvement in the discovery of Toll-Like Receptors. Talk Overview: When he was a graduate student, Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov read a theory written by Dr. Charles Janeway that foresaw the existence of a set of receptors that would directly detect pathogens and signal to T- and B-cells to generate an immune response (adaptive immunity). Medzhitov was determined to find such receptors! In this discovery talk, Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov provides a historical perspective that frames his involvement in the discovery of Toll-Like Receptors. By following the clue that NF-kB was involved in the immune response, he searched for receptors, like Toll, that had the capacity to activate NF-kB.