Retroviral Evolution Section

Retroviral transmission and early viral dynamics 

• Study the process involved in initial HIV transmission. 
• Assess viral requirements essential for successful transmission. 
• Address the viral/host mechanics and dynamics that occur between initial virus exposure and detectable plasma viremia weeks later. 
• Understand the process of mucosal transmission. 
• Develop new approaches for transmission assessment. 

Reservoir establishment and persistence 

• Gain unique insights into the complex nature of viral reservoirs, which enable HIV to accumulate and persist. 
• Use insights on reservoir formation and rebound to inform intervention strategies seeking a functional cure of HIV. 
• Use a developed barcoded virus system to track and quantify individual viral variants during the establishment of viral reservoirs. 
• Identify the number and dynamics of rebounding viral lineages once suppressive therapy is removed. 

Retroviral dynamics of evolution 

• Understand the dynamics involved in driving the generation of viral mutations, the phenotypic consequences of these mutations, and the resulting process of fitness selection. 
• Discover how adaptation occurs within individual, genetically defined viral lineages using molecular barcodes. 
• Use specialized virus and nonhuman primate models to identify potential viral weaknesses that can be exploited through thoughtful interventions.