|
Research:
1)
Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) vaccine development
2) Molecular genetics of SIV pathogenesis
3) Use of anti-retroviral drugs to select and characterize virulence-attenuated
SIV isolates
The focus of my research is in 2 areas:
1) Defining
genetic determinants of SIV components of virulence
2) Evaluating the ability of an attenuated molecularly cloned SIV
to protect against infection by virulent SIV.
Both of these research areas are related by the use of molecular
genetic techniques to study viral pathology and vaccine design.
My research is directly applicable to development of vaccines and
anti-viral therapies for human AIDS and also addresses fundamental
issues in retrovirology such as the relative contribution of viral
and host factors in retroviral persistence, latency and activation
in non-human primates, the genetic control of viral tissue tropism
and the role of tissue tropism in retroviral pathogenesis.
By it's nature,
my research involves the large, interdisciplinary network of investigators
at UC Davis and other institutions. These collaborative interactions
are essential to maintaining the high quality and significance of
my research at the California
National Primate Research Center (CNPRC).
|
