Biosketch
BS Westminster College, SLC UT Biology/Chemistry MS Stanford University Biophysical Chemistry MD/MPhil University of Utah, SLC UT MPH University of California, Berkeley Postgraduate Training: 1986 Rotating internship Jewish General Hospital, Montreal 1987-9 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Centers for Disease Control 1991 Fellowship Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco
Research Interests
Our laboratory (a joint effort with Yuan Chang (section 44)) is devoted to finding new human tumor viruses and using these viruses as tools to understand basic cancer cell biology. This research began with discovery of the herpesvirus causing Kaposi's sarcoma (KSHV, also known as human herpesvirus 8) in 1994 using a DNA subtraction method. In 2008, we discovered a second tumor virus, a polyomavirus, causing most cases of Merkel cell carcinoma. Examining the genes encoded by these viruses allowed us to explore the roles of innate immunity in controlling cancer cell proliferation and viral infection. More recently, we have begun examining how viruses usurp the translational machinery of the cell, which might also contribute to tumor cell growth.
Membership Type
Member
Election Year
2012
Primary Section
Section 41: Medical Genetics, Hematology, and Oncology
Secondary Section
Section 44: Microbial Biology