Dr. Glenn's primary interest is in molecular virology, with a strong emphasis on translating this knowledge into novel antiviral therapies. Current projects aim to better understand the role of prenylation in the life cycles of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) and other viruses--both as a mechanism of intracellular trafficking and trigger of virus assembly, and as a target for a promising antiviral treatment. The function and cell biology of hepatitis and respiratory virus proteins are also being studied, with a focus on identifying key determinants of pathogenesis and designing novel antiviral strategies for hepatitis, influenza, and enteroviruses. Of particular interest are host cell targets upon which viruses depend, and critical RNA secondary structures in viruses. Other interests include exploitation of hepatic stem cells, development of small animal models, NASH, liver cancer, and engineered human liver tissues.

I graduated with a Ph.D from the laboratory of Prof. Eliahu Zlotkin at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where my research focused on Insect-selective neurotoxins expressing Baculoviruses. In December 2000 I joined the laboratory of Professor Jeffrey Glenn's at Stanford School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow. Here my research focused on HCV membrane association, specifically the association of NS5A and NS4B with host cell membranes and its role in HCV replication.
As a Senior Research Scientist at Professor Glenn's lab, my interests focus on three major themes:
1. Broad-spectrum antivirals targeting host functions
2. Viral genome RNA structures as antiviral targets
3. None Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and its progression to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

My interest in medicine and research was triggered by my mother’s battle with chronic hepatitis C, which made me realize the transformational power of biomedical research in treating patients. Therefore, my career goal is to become a physician scientist in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology dedicated to translating discoveries in the laboratory into novel medical treatment modalities. My research focus is alterations in phosphoinositides signaling and its pathogenesis in cancers of the hepatobiliary and luminal GI tract with the goal to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention. I also have a particular interest in understanding the interface between chronic viral infection and cancer through studying how the innate and adaptive immune system are perturbed in chronic viral infections

Dr. Mark Smith joined Stanford ChEM-H in May 2013 as the Head of the Medicinal Chemistry Knowledge Center. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the laboratory of Prof. Richard Stoodley at the University of Manchester Institute for Science and Technology (UMIST), where his research focused on the application of Lewis acid catalyzed hetero Diels-Alder reactions to the synthesis of novel disaccharide structures. In 2000, Dr. Smith joined the research laboratory of Prof. David Crich at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Here his research focused on the generation of new reagents for the synthesis of beta-mannosides from thioglycosides. From 2002 to 2013, Dr. Smith worked as a medicinal chemist in Roche’s research facilities both in Palo Alto, CA and then Nutley, NJ, where he specialized in antiviral research.

Scientific Focus: To establish an integrated hepatocyte culture system for hepatitis virus infection and drug screening.

Scientific interest(s): Antiviral drug screening and metabolomics

Bio-analytical chemist with over 10 years of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic experiences in pre-clinical research in small molecules.  She has broad knowledge in areas of bioanalysis, pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism and analytical with LC-MS/MS.  Prior joining the Gelnn Lab in the Gastroenterology and Hepatology division of School of Medicine at Stanford University in 2014, I was a biochemist at Genentech, Elan and Roche Palo Alto.  

I got my PhD in genetics at the Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences. For over a decade, my research has been mostly focused on the genetic mechanisms of mycobacterial drug resistance and anti-tuberculosis drug development, with the implementation of state-of-the-art techniques in both forward and reverse genetics, molecular biology, and omics-based approaches. Upon joining the Glenn Lab in 2023, my interest is to apply my expertise in genetic engineering to developing novel antivirals, and convenient screening systems.