Genetic basis and regulation of bacterial virulence components; Innate immunity; Vaccines

Emerging infectious diseases, and molecular biology and genetics

Development of influenza virus vaccines; elucidation of molecular determinants of influenza virus transmission

Pathogenesis of gamma-herpesviruses and development of lymphoma and other cancers.

Genetics of antibiotic resistance; antimicrobial peptides; transcriptional regulation of gene expression; mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis.

Regulation of gene expression in Acinetobacter baumannii and Proteus mirabilis.

Bacterial development; microbial genetics; gene expression during bacterial differentiation, RNA polymerase-promoter interactions and regulation of gene transcription.

Replication and pathogenesis of the cytomegaloviruses, including latency, host modulation and host response to infection.

Research in our laboratory centers on the emerging pathogen, Clostridium difficile. C. difficile causes chronic intestinal disease that is both difficult and costly to treat.

Transmission of influenza virus from host to host and reassortment of influenza virus gene segments

The mucosal surfaces of the respiratory, intestinal, and genital tracts are primary portals of entry for a wide range of pathogens.

In situ analysis of B and T cell memory.

T-cell recognition of peptide:MHC antigens; autoimmunity; role of SHP-1 phosphatase.

Cellular immunity and mechanisms of immune regulation in human Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and HIV co-infection.

Virology, Vaccines

Transmissible antibody resistance and pathogenesis of group A streptococcus; mechanisms of transposition.

Genetic and epigenetic regulation of immune system genes

HIV Vaccines, therapy and pathogenesis

T-Cell immune responses to HIV infection, vaccine development, and development of T-Cell memory

Immunology and pathogenesis of chronic viral infections; immunological memory and vaccine development.

Research in our lab focuses on how host cells detect, respond, and regulate immunity to viral infection. In particular, we are interested in how pattern recognition receptors, like the RIG-I like receptors, regulate innate immune, humoral, and cell-mediated responses during virus infection.