To date, viral vectors have held the most promise as vehicles for gene therapy because they are capable of delivering genes to certain tissues with high efficiency and establishing stable transgene expression for significant periods of time. However, routine use of viruses for therapeutic purposes is significantly limited by the innate immune response against capsid proteins, viral gene products and the therapeutic transgene.

Recombinant viral preparations must also be extremely pure for clinical use. In this form, however, they often exhibit poor physical stability.

Research in my laboratory focuses on the development of methods to reduce the immune response and associated toxicity associated with recombinant viruses and methods to evaluate the physical stability of viral vectors during processing and purification. The primary vectors under investigation are adenoviruses, adeno-associated viruses and lentiviruses.

Students in my lab are exposed to cutting edge, interdisciplinary research relevant to the fields of cell biology, virology and immunology, with basic skills in pharmaceutics and drug delivery also emphasized. Projects address basic research problems and sharpen skills in hypothesis development and open-ended problem solving. Application of research techniques to clinical settings is also emphasized.

• Models of Oral Mucosa