Viruses of the family Flaviviridae are responsible for numerous diseases of global importance. Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the prototype member of the Hepacivirus genus, currently chronically infects approximately 120 million people worldwide, or 2% of the world’s population. HCV infection can lead to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, extrahepatic manifestations, and is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States. There is no HCV vaccine available, and current therapy, a combination of interferon-alpha and the nucleoside analog ribavirin, is frequently not effective. Viruses of the genus Flavivirus are insect-borne relatives of HCV. Flaviviruses include pathogens such as West Nile virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and tick-borne encephalitis virus, many of which are resurging and spreading to new environments. The genus Pestivirus includes animal pathogens such as bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). These viruses cause significant disease in wild and agriculturally important animals and are studied as a model system for the related human viruses.

In the Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, we are interested in understanding how RNA viruses propagate, ways in which they interact with host cells, and how they cause disease. Our research focuses on HCV, as well as the related yellow fever virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus. We are also interested in Sindbis virus, a member of the Togaviridae family, which is an amenable and valuable model system for analyzing many aspects of RNA virology. The recent development, by our laboratory and others, of a cell culture full infectious system for HCV has drastically increased our ability to investigate this important pathogen. We are combining genetic analyses in cell culture with biochemical techniques, structural biology, and animal models in attempts to elucidate every aspect of HCV biology and to develop new tools to fight and prevent this disease.