Viruses and Phages
Viruses and bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) are powerful forces that shape human health and disease. Members of the Viruses & Phages research area explore how viruses invade human cells, hijack their machinery, and sometimes outsmart the immune system. We also study the genetic and cellular factors that make some people more vulnerable to infection than others. Using tools including structural biology, chemistry, genetics and computational approaches, we uncover how viruses replicate, spread, and cause disease. We also investigate how phages influence bacteria in the body and the environment. These insights guide the search for new treatments and innovative ways to fight infection.
Paul Bollyky
Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, are abundant in the human body. However, their contributions to human health and disease are largely unknown. The Bollyky Lab studies interactions between phages and both their human and bacterial hosts with the goal of developing innovative strategies to improve human health.
Jan Carette
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Our lab is interested in the host pathways that determine the susceptibility of humans to viral disease. Viruses constantly evolve to exploit host machineries for their benefit whilst disarming host restriction mechanisms. Discovery of host proteins critical for viral infection illuminates basic aspects of cellular biology, reveals intricate virus host relationships, and leads to potential targets for antiviral therapeutics.
Wah Chiu
Wallenberg-Bienenstock Professor of Bioengineering and of Microbiology & Immunology
My laboratory research includes methodology improvements in single particle cryo-EM for atomic resolution structure determination of molecules and molecular machines, as well as in cryo-ET of cells and organelles towards subnanometer resolutions.
Shirit Einav
Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases)
We focus on understanding the roles of virus-host interactions in viral infection and disease pathogenesis via both molecular and systems virology/immunology single cell approaches. This program is combined with translational efforts to apply this knowledge for the development of broad-spectrum host-centered antiviral approaches to combat emerging viral infections, including dengue, encephalitic alphaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 and Ebola, and means to predict disease progression.
Alex Gao
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
We integrate computational genome mining with high-throughput experimental approaches to harness the rich diversity of microbial genes, with the goal of developing new antibiotic strategies and molecular biotechnology. A major area of current interest is uncovering novel molecular functions involved in anti-phage defense and bacteria–phage interactions.
Jeffrey Glenn
Joseph D. Grant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Glenn's primary interest is in molecular virology, with a strong emphasis on translating this knowledge into novel antiviral therapies. We seek to improve the lives of patients by developing novel therapies with high impact for a range of important diseases that afflict children and adults, from viruses to cancer.
Karla Kirkegaard
Violetta L. Horton Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Our lab studies genetics, immunology, cell biology and bio-chemistry of positive strand RNA virus progogation, furthering our understanding of RNA virus replication to thwart drug resistance and disease.
Charles Prober
Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and, by courtesy, of Microbiology and Immunology
My research interest is in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, prevention, and treatment of infections in children. Much of this research has focused on viral infections, especially those caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV).
Peter Sarnow
Burt and Marion Avery Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
The Sarnow Lab studies genetic effects on gene regulation and gene expression to identify the molecular and cellular mechanisms which define human traits. We are interested in virus-host interactions and the mechanisms of cellular and viral translation.
David Schneider
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
We study innate immunity and microbial pathogenesis. We have been studying models for a variety of bacterial infections including: Listeria, Mycobacteria, Salmonella and Streptococcus as well as some fungi, malaria and viruses. Our current focus is to determine how we recover from infections.
Priscilla L. Yang
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
My research group is focused on innovation at the intersection of chemical biology and virology. We welcome trainees from chemistry, chemical engineering, virology, biochemistry, and structural biology to a research environment in which the only requirement is an earnest interest in the questions we are asking. Our current areas of focus are (1) developing first-in-class antivirals using the principle of chemically induced proximity to address chronic viral infections and the diseases they cause and (2) mechanistic investigation of the function of membranes in regulating viral processes.