Innovating immunology: an interview with Ruslan Medzhitov

Ruslan Medzhitov was inspired to become a researcher in immunology on reading a 1989 paper written by Charles Janeway that outlined a new theory for immune system activation. Just a few years later, having achieved a postdoc position in Janeway’s lab, he carried out the experiments that confirmed the theory, re-igniting interest in the field of innate immunity and launching his own career. Here, he discusses this early discovery and explains what he considers the three most important questions facing immunologists today.