Virology Research

• Congenital CMV infection: deafness, mental retardation, seizure disorders, hydrocephalus
• HIV infection and AIDS, including HIV-associated nephropathy
• Viral myocarditis
• Viral encephalitis
• Viral pneumonia and pneumonitis of infants

• Anamaris Colberg-Poley, PhD, conducts basic science research on the effects of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, which is the leading viral cause of congenital birth defects and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed patients. Her work focuses on a newly described cellular sub-compartment (mitochondrial associated membranes, MAM) that serves as a functional junction between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. HCMV UL37 immediate early proteins sequentially traffic from the ER to the MAM and then to mitochondria. Her laboratory also studies the effects of HCMV infection on differentiation of human neural precursor cells and their ability to migrate using physiologically relevant, low oxygen conditions.
  
  
• Roberta DeBiasi, MD, conducts basic science as well as clinical research projects. Her basic science research focuses on the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis using study of reoviruses with the goal of identifying new therapies for this severe disease of humans. Her laboratory has established the importance of virus-induced apoptosis as a key determinant of the myocarditic phenotype in infected cardiac myocytes and cardiac tissues and has demonstrated the therapeutic effect of apoptosis inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Using genomic approaches to compare cardiac myocyte responses to myocarditic and nonmyocarditic viral infection, her laboratory has identified other signal transduction pathways that may serve as novel targets for treatment. Dr. DeBiasi also is the principal investigator for clinical research projects that aim to determine the etiology of undiagnosed cases of encephalitis, evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy for infants with symptomatic congenital CMV infection, and evaluate the safety or new vaccines for respiratory viral infections of infants.
  
  
• Steven Zeichner, MD, researches both basic science virology and clinical investigations. His basic science studies aim to understand the molecular pathogenesis of HIV and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus, with particular emphasis on understand virus-host cell interactions, understanding viral latency and methods to activate virus from latency, and vaccine development. In his clinical research, he investigates new therapies for pediatric HIV disease, hoping to understand the pathogenesis of pediatric HIV disease and the complications associated with pediatric HIV disease, and enhances outcomes for HIV-infected children.
  
  
• Patricio Ray, MD, investigates renal angiogenesis and the role of FGF-2 in angiogeneisis. He explores the role of heparin binding growth factors in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated renal diseases and AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma. His laboratory identified a new mechanism by which the activity of the angiogenic growth factor FGF-2 can be regulated in the kidneys of HIV-infected children with renal diseases.

• Anamaris Colberg-Poley PhD 
• Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD 
• Patricio Ray, MD 
• Steven Zeichner, MD