Viral evasion of the interferon system: old viruses, new tricks

Interferon-alpha/beta (IFN-alpha/beta) plays an important role in antiviral defense, but many viruses have evolved mechanisms to evade this barrier. The emerging understanding of how viral proteins intercept the IFN response was the focus of a workshop held at the University of Freiburg, Germany, on September 27-28, 2002.