Infectious agents cause approximately 20 percent of cancers. Oncogenic herpesvirus are a leading cause of lymphomas and tumors induced by viral infection. All of us are infected with at least one herpesvirus, but only a small fraction of people will develop a herpesvirus-induced cancer. Our lab investigates regulation of herpesvirus infection by the immune system to determine ways to prevent and treat herpesvirus-induced cancers. In the context of herpesvirus infection, we are investigating the mechanism of immune system recognition of viral and host DNA. We are studying a particular pathway involved in sensing foreign DNA or damaged host DNA in the cytoplasm of cells. This DNA sensin...

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Infectious agents cause approximately 20 percent of cancers. Oncogenic herpesvirus are a leading cause of lymphomas and tumors induced by viral infection. All of us are infected with at least one herpesvirus, but only a small fraction of people will develop a herpesvirus-induced cancer. Our lab investigates regulation of herpesvirus infection by the immune system to determine ways to prevent and treat herpesvirus-induced cancers. In the context of herpesvirus infection, we are investigating the mechanism of immune system recognition of viral and host DNA. We are studying a particular pathway involved in sensing foreign DNA or damaged host DNA in the cytoplasm of cells. This DNA sensing pathway is of significant interest, because it is a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. In some tumor models, activation of the DNA sensing pathway has anti-tumor effects. We have found a host protein called PPAR-alpha that modifies the activation of the DNA sensing pathway and alters herpesvirus replication. By investigating the basic mechanism for how PPAR-alpha changes activation of DNA sensing, we aim to discover a novel target to enhance activation of this pathway and promote stronger anti-tumor immune responses.

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