Coronaviruses
The
focus of my research is to study how viruses replicate and
cause disease. One major area of our research is to
investigate the replication of coronaviruses, including the
recently emerged coronavirus that causes Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). We study the expression,
proteolytic processing and function of the coronavirus RNA
polymerase polyprotein. This complex polyprotein holds the
key to understanding how coronavirus replication is regulated.
We found that the polyprotein is processed into 16 products by
viral proteases. Viral proteases are attractive targets
for antiviral drug development. Our current efforts are
aimed at developing and testing protease inhibitors for their
ability to inhibit coronavirus replication, and determining if
viral proteases process host cell proteins to modulate the
cellular environment and facilitate viral replication.
Kawasaki
Disease
We also study
the etiology and pathogenesis of Kawasaki Disease (KD). KD
is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in
developed nations, but the cause of KD is unknown. Using
KD-specific antibodies, we showed that an antigen is found in
both the coronary arteries and in bronchial epithelial cells of
KD patients, suggesting a respiratory portal of entry for the KD
agent. We are currently using human airway epithelial cell
cultures to identify and propagate microbes associated with KD. |
