Research Group

  • Dr Atul Humar, Principal Investigator
  • Dr Deepali Kumar, Co-Investigator
  • Dr Yupin Tong, Lab Technologist
  • Dr Leticia Ely, Research Coordinator
  • Dr Luiz Lisboa, Post-doctoral Fellow

Location

  • The University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada

Title

  • Cytomegalovirus: from Bench to Bedside

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most common viral infections in transplant patients. It can cause serious disease, including pneumonia and hepatitis, and sometimes can have long-term effects on the function of the graft. The virus is very complex, producing a number of factors that can allow it to better survive inside the patient. We will analyze a group of viral factors called microRNAs. We will first look at how these microRNAs work in the lab using viruses isolated from transplant patients. We will then assess how these factors work in actual patients who have illness due to CMV. Finally, we will look in a large group of transplant patients to see if any of these factors in conjunction with measurements of the immune response to the virus allow us to better predict which transplant patients will develop significant problems due to this virus.

Progress Report

Final Report