The Nebraska Center for Virology Research Program

Our research program addresses pathogenic and therapeutic questions of some the most devastating viral and neuroimmune disorders facing the global community including molecular, epidemiological, and biochemical approaches to address fundamental questions concerning viral replication, latency, assembly and pathogenesis. These projects include the investigation of mechanisms of HIV replication and pathogenesis; and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases and HIV-1-associated dementia. Other projects involve chronic and latent infections caused by viruses such as herpes simplex, Epstein-Barr and Kaposi's Sarcoma associated herpesvirus. Investigators are also studying viral host interactions including the mechanism of viral induced cellular transformation.

RESEARCH PROJECTS
» Herpesvirus Anisa Kaenjak Angeletti, PhD
» Mechanisms that control stable replication of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) Peter C. Angeletti, PhD
» Prion Targeting Jason C. Bartz, PhD
» APC are Required for Peptide Specific Killing, while Th2 Polarization Inhibits Lysis Deborah M. Brown, Ph.D.
» Perforin in Required for CD4 Mediated Cytotoxicity During Influenza Infection Deborah M. Brown, Ph.D.
» Protein Structure and Function, Proteomics Pawel Ciborowski, PhD

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HIV Neuropathogenesis

Howard Gendelman, MD
» Evaluating different immunization strategies using adjuvants and antibody immunotherapies to enhance protective immune responses induced by HIV vaccine candidates. Santhi Gorantla, PhD
» Genome-wide screening of host genes involved in virus-induced neurotoxic signaling using lentiviral siRNA library Clinton Jones, PhD

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Herpesviruses Latency

Clinton Jones, PhD
» Prion Entry into the Nervous System Anthony E. Kincaid, PhD
» The Antiviral Role of RNA Interference in Mammals T. Jack Morris, PhD
» RNA Virus Gene Expression Asit K. Pattnaik, PhD
» IL-12 expression during innate anti-viral immunity against Theiler's Virus infection Thomas M. Petro, PhD
» Murine model of HIV-1encephalitis in NOD/SCID mice reconstituted with human lymphocytes Larisa Poluektova, MD, PhD

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Chlorella Viruses Biology

James Van Etten, PhD

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HIV and Herpes Virus Pathogenesis

Charles Wood, PhD

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HIV Neurophysiology

Huangui Xiong, MD, PhD

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Herpes Viral Latency and Interferon Regulatory Factors

Luwen Zhang, PhD

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Chemokines and HIV Dementia

Jialin Zheng, MD

NCV Research Close-Up

HIV and Herpes Virus Pathogenesis

Charles Wood, PhD - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, School of Biological Sciences.

The laboratory focuses on HIV and human herpesvirus, and the roles play by these viruses in immunosuppression and cancer development. One of the ongoing projects is to study the transmission and evolution of HIV and Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), a virus linked to Kaposi's Sarcoma, a rare cancer often found in AIDS patients. This project is being carried out in Africa where infection by both HIV and HHV-8 is at the epidemic level. Our goal is to understand how these viruses regulate gene expression, replicate, transmit and cause diseases. This will lead to knowledge that can help in the development of strategies to prevent infection and disease development.