Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program
BS – Chemistry
St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad
BS – Rochester Institute of Technology

Email: viraj.r.sanghvi@drexel.edu

Advisor: Dr. Laura Steel
 
Thesis Research Summary

My research in the laboratory of Dr. Steel focuses on the role of RNAi pathway in HIV pathogenesis. RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism of sequence-specific gene regulation that is conserved across a broad range of eukaryotic organisms. RNAi plays an important role in normal cell processes including differentiation, proliferation, stress, and apoptosis. It is mediated by genomically encoded RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs). In plants, the RNAi pathway is a significant component of the cellular anti-viral defense system, and it is increasingly evident that it can have a similar function in mammalian cells. We are exploring the interplay between HIV-1 and the endogenous RNAi pathway in infected cells. Second, we are examining the potential of different HIV-1 strains to counter an RNAi-based cellular defense. The HIV-1 Tat protein has been identified as a suppressor of RNAi. We are also interested in determining whether alterations in the Tat protein sequence can affect its ability to suppress RNAi, and whether this, in turn, can be correlated with the pathology of the parental HIV-1 strain.