Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) exploits clathrin endocytic machinery and intracellular actin scaffold of host cells to enter the cells. After entering the cells, VSV travels through endosomal pathway to a destination where acidic environment triggers membrane fusion between VSV and endosome to release genetic content for viral replication. My project focuses on investigating virus entry into host cells. I utilize small molecules identified to inhibit virus trafficking in combination with microscopic imaging analysis to visualize cell entry of various VSV-based pseudoviruses, such as Ebola and Lassa viruses. In doing so, I aim to gain insights of the mechanism underlying the inhibition of viral infection by the drugs.
Senior Scientist, UCB, Cambridge USA