In the ninth episode, the Essentially Medicines crew interviews Professor Melody Li, Assistant Professor in the Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics department at UCLA. Her laboratory, which was established in 2017, studies the mechanisms of host innate immune responses against mosquito-borne alphaviruses. The main focus of the Li laboratory is to elucidate the mechanism of ZAP, a broad-spectrum antiviral ISG and a member of the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) family. Prolonged upregulation of ISGs has been associated with chronic viral infections and autoinflammatory diseases such as Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome. Therefore, understanding the action and regulation of ISG expression has broad implications for public health.You can find her contact info here: https://bioscience.ucla.edu/faculty/melody-liWe hope you enjoy :)