Millions of people are infected with both HIV and HBV. Morbidity and mortality in HIV/HBV co-infection is higher than mono-infections and co-infection accelerates HBV-related liver disease with more frequent development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly when CD4 cell counts are low. Together…

The work of our group (jointly directed by Patrick Moore and Yuan Chang) has focused on human tumor viruses since the early 1990s when we identified Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8) and showed that this virus was causally associated with…

I study the structure and function of macromolecular complexes, such as virus capsids, using cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to detail protein folds and interfaces. The resolution achieved by cryoEM depends on the sample, and we routinely aim for 3-5 Ångstroms but…

Terence S. Dermody is the Vira I. Heinz Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and physician-in-chief and scientific director at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He also is professor of microbiology and…

Dr. Glorioso has spent his career studying the molecular biology and immunology of HSV and the last 20 years developing HSV gene vectors for local and systemic therapies. He is a world-wide leader in this field and has the expertise…

Research in my lab combines nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and other structural biology methodologies with biophysics, biochemistry, and chemistry to investigate cellular processes at the molecular and atomic levels in relation to human disease. We presently focus on two…

Research in my lab is focused on the viral pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and antiviral discovery. HBV is the etiologic agent of viral hepatitis B, a disease affecting approximately 300 million people worldwide who suffer the high risk…

Dr. Homa's research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) capsid assembly and viral genome packaging into the viral capsid. DNA encapsidation and cleavage involves the coordinated interaction of several HSV proteins that…

In my role as leader in AI for Cancer Research, I work closely with Hillman PIs and Hillman leadership to develop the AI infrastructure and capability to advance clinical operation, clinical research, and basic cancer research. I envision building a…

I am the principal investigator of an R21 grant titled Development of a biparatopic-domain antibody screening system, with the long-term goal of developing MSLN-targeting domain antibodies that will be utilized to design therapeutic reagents. I am also collaborating on a…

Dr. Kinchington’ s research program focuses on the biology of the human alpha-herpesvirus Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) and its interaction with human neurons and skin using novel model systems. VZV causes Chickenpox upon primary infection, but then remains with the…

Many noncoding (nc)RNAs execute diverse cellular functions and are equally important as their coding counterparts. In recent years, owing to the development of cutting-edge technology, such as next-generation sequencing, the detection of ncRNAs and elucidation of their functions have been…

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the causative agent of nasopharyngeal cancer (a type of head and neck cancer), stomach cancer and several types of lymphomas. Each year 200,000 cancers worldwide are caused by EBV. The presence of EBV in cancer cells…

Dr. Mellors' laboratory focuses on resistance to antiretroviral drugs used for treatment and HIV prevention and on mechanisms of HIV persistence and strategies to deplete the reservoirs that are the barrier to curing HIV infection. His work on HIV reservoirs…

Dr. Moore focuses his research on the link between viruses and cancer. Through his research, he hopes to answer why some viruses evolve to cause cancer while others cause nothing worse than the common cold. Dr. Moore and his wife, Yuan…

Joseph T. Newsome is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Associate Director – Division of Laboratory Animal Resources at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the Director of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Animal Facility Shared…

The Shair Lab studies the human tumor virus “Epstein-Barr virus,” a ubiquitous herpesvirus with 90-95% seropositivity among adults worldwide. The resulting chronic infection can lead to EBV-associated cancer, which can occur in the immune-competent, and the immune-compromised such as post-transplant…

Studies on animal polyomaviruses have provided a wealth of information for cancer biology. Research on the simian and murine polyomaviruses (SV40 and PyV) led to the discovery of tumor suppressor proteins p53 and retinoblastoma (pRb) and unveiled the importance of…

In theory, inhibition of undesirable enzymatic activity responsible for disease can be accomplished either directly at the active site or indirectly at a distance (allostery). Important examples of selective enzyme inhibition come from the field of protein-tyrosine kinases, an emerging…