Neurovirology Research

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) differ from infections of other organs in that the CNS is somewhat isolated from the periphery by the blood brain barrier and this results in different host responses to infection. The University of Pennsylvania has a long history of research in neurovirology, organized originally by Dr. Neal Nathanson, one of the pioneers of neurovirology, in the late 1970's. A training grant in Neurovirology has funded postdocs and predocs trainees at Penn for the last thirty years. The neurovirology group includes investigators from the University of Penn schools of medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine as well as the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Studies focus on virus-receptor interaction during viral entry and spread and pathogenesis of infection of the CNS, including the use of viruses for gene therapy of the CNS and investigation of host factors involved in pathogenesis of neurotropic viruses. A variety of viruses are studied including Herpes simplex virus, HIV and other retroviruses, measles , bunyaviruses, alphaviruses and coronaviruses.

Neurovirology Researchers At University of Pennsylvania
Sara Cherry Host factors important for encephalitic alphaviruses and bunyaviruses
Gary Cohen HSV-1 glycoproteins & receptors
Ron Collman HIV tropism
Roselyn Eisenberg HSV-1 glycoproteins & receptors
Nigel Fraser HSV latency; gene transfer to neurons
Glen Gaulton HIV and murine leukemia virus entry and pathogenesis
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto Viral encephalitis; neuroinflammation; neuropathogenesis
Dennis Kolson Neurobiology of HIV injury; oxidative stress; survival pathways
Glenn Rall Spread of neurotropic viruses; antiviral responses in the brain
Sam Soldan  
Susan Weiss Pathogenesis and replication of murine coronavirus; SARS coronavirus
John Wolfe Viral vectors for gene transfer to CNS; neural stem cell transplantation


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