Laboratory of Julie Pfeiffer, PhD

RNA viruses undergo highly error-prone replication and are among the most mutatable life forms in the biosphere. However, they have finely tuned their error frequencies for optimal balance of functionality and adaptability. A diverse viral population is required for full virulence, but too much diversity attenuates due to loss of sequence information. Because of their adaptability, RNA viruses are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The Pfeiffer lab is interested in several topics related to viral evolution, pathogenesis, viral movement within and between hosts, resistance to antiviral drugs, and why vaccines were readily developed for some RNA viruses but not others.

We have research projects in several areas related to RNA viruses, pathogenesis, viral evolution, viral population dynamics, host barriers, vaccines, and antiviral treatment response. Our overall goal is to understand virus-host interactions and antiviral drug responses that impact the development of disease. For more details, see our lab website. In summary, we are focusing on:

  1. Poliovirus and yellow fever virus population dynamics during trafficking in an infected host, and identification of host barriers that limit viral spread
  2. Neurotropic virus trafficking barriers
  3. The effect of the gut microbiota on enteric virus replication, shedding, and pathogenesis
  4. Host-based ribavirin resistance in cultured cells and hepatitis C virus patients

View the full website of the Pfeiffer laboratory.