Ever wonder how does a virus coordinate all the steps needed to make a new particle? Our lab studies the viral and host determinants required for alphavirus assembly and spread. Alphaviruses are arboviruses—they are transmitted from a mosquito to a vertebrate—so we focus on how the assembly determinants are conserved or differ in these two hosts. We use a variety of approaches to study assembly including viral and host genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, and structural biology.
Our lab studies the different stages of alphavirus assembly and spread. We are interested in the viral and host factors that mediate and regulate virus assembly.
Research:
- Mechanisms of envelope glycoprotein regulation
- Nucleocapsid core structure, function and applications in nanoparticles
- Viral and host factors involved in Alphavirus budding and spread
- Arbovirus-host interactions