Our laboratory studies the molecular biology of Retroviruses, a family of viruses that includes human immunodeficiency virus – the causative agent of AIDS. Our research has recently centered on studies aimed at defining, at a molecular level, the nature of the virus that establishes infection following heterosexual HIV-1 transmission, because it is this virus that any effective vaccine must control. Studies from a research team that encompasses investigators and research sites in Rwanda and Zambia, have allowed us to characterize the transmitted virus as well as define how the immune system responds to HIV infection. Ongoing studies are aimed at defining the unique biological and structural properties of the transmitted virus with the goal of targeting it with novel vaccine approaches.

Other studies in our laboratory have the goal of understanding aspects of retrovirus assembly and entry, so that this information can be used for the rationale design of anti-retroviral therapies. We are particularly interested in how surface structures of the virus mediate fusion of the viral membrane with that of a host cell and how the multiple components of the virus are transported inside the cell and are assembled into new infectious virus particles. These studies, which bridge the disciplines of cell biology and molecular biology, will allow the identification of novel targets for drug design.

HIV continues to have a devastating impact on individuals and populations within the US and in developing countries around the world. For those already infected the continued discovery and development of affordable therapies is critical, but it is only through the development of an effective vaccine, which can protect people from HIV infection, that this epidemic can be curbed. I am convinced that these problems can be solved, in time, through a concerted research effort and the application of those research findings to novel therapeutic and vaccine approaches.

• Identification of the characteristics of the virus that successfully establishes infection during heterosexual transmission of HIV-1
• Development of a multidisciplinary team to investigate how the genetics of the immune system influences HIV pathogenesis and disease progression
• Defining the intracellular interactions between surface and internal components of a retrovirus that are critical to efficient assembly of new infectious virus

I was impressed by the foresighted support for higher education and innovative research that will form the basis for economic growth in the future; a willingness to provide a strong research infrastructure, through the GRA, that allowed the relocation of my research program; and a strong intellectual environment to foster academic growth.