Members

Principal Investigator

Chris Sulllivan

Dr. Chris Sullivan

Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular Biosciences

Laboratory Focus:

The discovery of silencing non-coding RNAs has dramatically changed our understanding of the regulation of gene expression. This has opened up a new area in the regulation of the immune response. Our research focuses on understanding the role of non-coding RNAs in virus infection and host defense pathways. We work with an array of diverse virus families including DNA tumor viruses and RNA viruses, as well as the enzyme DUSP11. DUSP11 is an RNA phosphatase that helps to regulate the innate immune response. Our goals are several-fold:

  1. To understand the functions of viral and host-encoded non-coding RNAs and how they contribute to viral lifecycle and pathogenesis 
  2. To explore the functions and regulation of immunogenic non-coding RNAs
  3. To uncover new mechanisms of gene regulation utilized by viruses and the host
  4. To use viruses as "molecular divining rods" to probe for new classes of host defense pathways.

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Graduate Students

Lab Management

Undergraduate Researchers

Noah Mathai

Noah Mathai

B.S. in Biomedical Engineering/Pre-Med, 2025

Project Description:

Investigating the roles of RNaseL and RISC in the innate immune response.

"When I'm not in lab, you

Read more about Noah Mathai

Undergraduate Research Assistants