Summary
Professional Biography
- 2014 - present: Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
- 2009 - 2014: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, Reno, NV, USA
- 2007 - 2009: Research Associate, Microbiology and Virology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- 2003 - 2007: Postdoctoral Fellowship, Microbiology and Virology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Research Interests
My laboratory is interested in defining the molecular mechanism of human viruses causing acute and chronic diseases. We study a variety of viruses including human herpesviruses, Zika virus (ZIKV), human coronaviruses, NL63, OC43 and SARS-CoV-2. Human herpesviruses, Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) cause lifelong persistent infection with induction of malignant tumors in immune-compromised individuals including HIV+ and patients receiving immune suppressive therapies. Virus-induced tumors are among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in HIV/AIDS patients.
SARS-COV-2 is a recently discovered virus belonging to the beta coronavirus genera of the human coronaviruses including human coronavirus OC43 and HKU1. We are using the OC43 strain (HCoV-OC43) to understand the basic biology and immune responses to human coronaviruses. Additionally, we are conducting genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by continuous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 sequences among COVID-19 patients of the state of Nevada to identify viral variants.
The overall goal of my laboratory is to define the genetic and epigenetic factors involved in viral replication and pathogenesis. We use novel approaches including high-resolution visualization of the individual viral genome to localize replication initiation and termination sites. We use next-generation sequencing to define gene mutation, amplification, protein binding, and expression profiling to identify point mutations (variant identification), changes in chromatin structure, and alteration in cellular pathways. Additionally, we use various other biochemical and recombinant approaches to establish the role of viral and cellular genes involved in virus replication and persistence.
Current Lab Members
- Andrew Zareie, graduate student
- Majid Khan, MD, Ph.D. candidate
- Kabita Adhikari, graduate student
- Sivani Reganti, undergrad
- Megha Mummalaneni, undergrad
Past Lab Members
- Maria McDowell
- Shanthan Challa
- Ruth Salas
- Simon Pinsky
- Sharif Ramjahn
- Pravin Kumar Purushothaman
- James Mcguinness
- Jessica Chen
- Rama Raja
- Niraj Gandhi
- Suhani Thakker
- Christina Chen
- Jennifer Labaille
- Kayla Hiura
- Christian Stadler
- Roxanne Strahan
- Roni Sarkar
- Namrata Gupta
- Dylan Meyers
- Kammi Moniz
- Prerna Dabral
- Samantha Solomon
- Riley Berriesford
- Jay Babu
- Timsy Uppal
- Svetlana Khaiboullina
Education
- 2003: Ph.D., Biotechnology/Microbiology, Banaras Hindu University, India