Summary
The hepatitis laboratories are currently involved in four research programs involving hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). The HCV program is a component of one of the national Hepatitis C Cooperative Centers, The Southeastern Hepatitis C Cooperative Center, which also includes components at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. This program involves molecular studies on the replication of HCV replicons in tissue culture cells as well as animal studies using the chimpanzee model of HCV infection. Studies in chimpanzees include studies on the basis of protective immunity and analysis of HCV induced changes in liver gene expression by DNA microarray technology. To augment our studies on HCV, we have developed a program on GBV-B, a tamarin virus closely related to HCV. In addition, the program performs research in collaboration with a number of pharmaceutical companies, mostly for the testing of HCV antivirals in chimpanzees. The HBV program currently focuses on the newly discovered woolly monkey hepatitis B virus (WMHBV) for the development of a new animal model for HBV pathogenesis and examination of the viral determinants of host range including identification of the elusive HBV receptor.
Education
Doctoral Degree: Ph.D. Virology and Epidemiology (1979)
Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX
Bachelor's Degree BS (1974)
University of Texas Arlington, TX
A novel, highly selective inhibitor of pestivirus replication that targets the viral RNA- dependent RNA polymerase.
Paeshuyse, J., Leyseen,P., Mabery, E., Boddeker, N., Vrancken,, R., Ansari, I., Froeyen, M., Rozenski, J., Gil,L. H.V.G., Dutartre, H., Lanford, R., Canard, B., Koenen, F., Kerkhofs, P., Donis, R.O., Letellier, C., Herdewijn, P., Watson, J., De Clercq, E., Pürstinger, G., and Neyts, J.
Journal of Virology 80: 149-160, 2006
Cell culture-grown hepatitis C virus is infectious in vivo and can be recultured.
Lindenbach, B.D., Meuleman, P., Ploss, A., Vanwolleghem, T., Syder, A.J., McKeating, J.A., Lanford, R.E., Feinstone, S.M., Major|, M.E., Leroux-Roels, G., Rice, C.M.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 103: 3805-3809, 2006
