Therapeutic Intervention and Animal Models of Viral Infection and Oncogenesis

Research Team:  Band, Horvath, Hope, Lamb, Leis, Longnecker, Pinto, Spear, Seth and Thimmapaya

Research has focused on the development of adenoviral vectors (Seth and Thimmapaya) for the treatment of specific cancers such as breast cancer. Studies have also focused on the understanding of antiviral drug action and the development of animal models that can provide insight into how viruses gain access to specific tissue types upon infection of the host and once the virus gains access how it is able to persist in the infected host and contribute to human cancer (Hope, Lamb, Leis, Longnecker, Pinto, and Spear). Finally, a large number of the Members of the Viral Oncogenesis Program focus on the development of animal models to understand the association of viruses with human cancer and host pathogenesis. In particularly, studies done by Dr. Hummel, Band, Spear and Longnecker use a variety of transgenic approaches to study the interplay of viruses with the host. Dr. Horvath's lab is establishing an animal model to probe the roles of virus innate immune evasion on the quality of adaptive immunity. These studies may result in the development of better animal models for viral infection that will provide the basis for the development and testing of novel therapies for viral infection and the related malignancies.

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