James Morgan Cunningham

My laboratory is interested in the pathogenesis of virus-induced leukemia. In particular, we study the mechanism of infection by retroviruses that cause leukemia in mice. As part of these studies, we have identified the receptors that these viruses use to gain entry into cells. Our focus is now on determining how viruses recognize and bind to these receptors and how receptor function is altered in virus-infected cells. Our goal is to understand the entry mechanism in sufficient detail to design small molecules that inhibit infection and to alter the virus to redirect infection for the purposes of virus-directed gene therapy.