The virology laboratory of Dr. Wooley is involved in studying genetic variation in HIV-1 in response to host and drug influences, and the development of tests for the detection of virus-based biological weapons. The research interests of the Sulentic laboratory center on the molecular mechanisms of immune modulation by environmental chemicals with particular emphasis on immunoglobulin heavy chain gene regulation. In Dr. Arlian’s laboratory, research concentrates on the characterization of allergens from house dust and storage mites, and the allergic response in dust sensitive individuals. Bacterial photosynthetic systems are the focus of research in the Fleischman laboratory, where sunlight provides energy for nitrogen fixation in rice and other crops essential to third world economies. The goal of the Bigley laboratory is to understand the interactions between virus and the host defense system occurring early after infection (innate immunity) that lead to susceptibility or resistance to disease (adaptive immunity).

Participating Faculty:

Larry Arlian, Ph.D. Immunoparasitology, indoor allergies, house dust allergy [home] [e-mail]

Nancy Bigley, Ph.D. Host resistance mechanisms, viral immunology [home][e-mail]

Thomas Brown, Ph.D. Molecular mechanisms of apoptotic cell death [home][e-mail]

Katherine Excoffon, Ph.D. Epithelial cell polarity and virus-cell interactions [home][e-mail]

Darrel E. Fleischman, Ph.D. Photosynthetic reactions [bio][e-mail]

Julian Gomez-Cambronero, Ph.D., Signal transduction in white blood cells [bio][e-mail]

Barbara E. Hull, Ph.D. Skin fibroblasts; cellular defense against viral pathogens, including Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) [home][e-mail]

J. Ashot Kozak, Ph.D., Physiology and biophysics of cation channels; patch-clamp electrophysiology; calcium regulation in immune cells [home][e-mail]

Courtney Sulentic, Ph.D. Cellular and molecular immunotoxicology [home][e-mail]

Dawn Wooley, Ph.D. Mechanisms of retroviral variation and pathogenesis [home][e-mail]