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Experimental Virology Core

UMMS CFAR EXPERIMENTAL VIROLOGY CORE 

The Virology Core, directed by Dr. Mohan Somasundaran, with support from Co-Director Dr. Paul Clapham, works together with the Clinical and Molecular Biology Cores to provide molecular and virology services to the UMMS HIV research community. Specifically, the objectives of the Virology Core are to: (1) provide and maintain a BSL3-level bio-containment facility; (2) function as a centralized source for standardized routine research techniques and reagents; (3) use personnel and resources efficiently to maintain cost-effective measures and to eliminate duplication of effort; (4) perform molecular, virology, and diagnostic assays; (5) maintain a vast repository of primary HIV-1 isolates, clinical specimens, donor PBMC, and cell-lines; (6) organize educational and community outreach programs; and (7) foster new collaborative projects and grants. The Virology Core provides an environment of collaborative and innovative AIDS research for various UMMS- and non-UMMS investigators to work on independent and collaborative projects that are related to HIV and new emerging infectious human pathogens. These services and programs are possible only because of UMMS CFAR funding, and because of the co-operative efforts between Virology Core and the Clinical and Molecular Biology Cores. The contributions are unique to CFAR-supported research, and other standard grant-mechanisms alone could not have helped these investigators to conduct their AIDS-related research. Together, these UMMS CFAR Cores continue to provide cost-effective services for the successful integration of HIV/AIDS-related research activities by various investigators and to promote collaborations between senior and junior clinical/basic research investigators. By doing so, UMMS CFAR has been able to uphold the missions of CFAR.

SUMMARY OF ROLE

The role of the Virology Core will remain as a central facility for various investigators and their laboratories (either within the UMMS campus or outside) working on independent and collaborative projects. The facility will continue to provide services provided for various investigators who otherwise would not be able to perform their studies. The Virology Core facility is committed to uphold the missions of UMMS CFAR, and anticipates CONTINUING:

  • To promote communication and collaboration between UMMS AIDS investigators and to offer centralized research cores that minimize redundancy and provide cost-effective research support;
  • To serve as a central facility for generating reagents and providing services for ongoing clinical and virological projects related to HIV, EBV and CMV;
  • To serve as a resource for reagents and sensitive and quantitative detection assays as part of the ongoing projects to understand viral resistance, viral reservoirs, viral latency and pathogenesis;
  • To provide a site to perform antibody neutralization assays to determine antibody titer in serum of infected individuals enrolled in viral-intervention (vaccine, immunotherapy) studies;
  • To provide biocontainment facility where new delivery systems using lentiviral vectors can be developed to optimize therapeutic strategies;
  • To function as a site to identify and/or to monitor the efficacy of potential anti-viral compounds targeted to structural or regulatory gene functions
  • To serve as a state-of-the-art facility where projects related to new and emerging infectious diseases can be initiated.

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