Glenn F Rall, PhD

Research Interests

The overall theme of our laboratory is to understand basic paradigms of viral infection of the CNS and the consequences of such an infection on the host. The major questions include:

1. how do viruses gain access to the CNS from the periphery;
2. how do neurotropic viruses replicate within the brain;
3. what role, if any, does the host immune response play in the control of such infections;
4. what host and viral factors (e.g., viral dose, host age, host immunocompetence) dictate the overall pathogenesis of such an infection?

To address these issues, we use a combination of transgenic mouse and primary cell culture models to study the virology and immunobiology of measles virus infection and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection of neurons. By understanding the factors which contribute to CNS diseases caused by viruses, we will be in a more informed position to develop interventive therapeutic approaches to prevent or treat such infections.