Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics

Carlo Croce, MD, Chair

Scientists in the Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics (MVIMG) Department study molecular genetics of human disease. MVIMG was reorganized in 2004 with Carlo Croce, MD, as chair. The Department then recruited professors Richard Fishel, Joanna Groden and Kay Huebner, all PhDs, and assistant professors Samir Acharya, Louise Fong, Jonathon Godbout, Helen Pace, Yuri Pekarski, Christoph Schmutte and Amanda Toland, all PhDs. Fishel, Groden and Huebner are internationally recognized leaders in DNA repair, cancer genetics and mouse models of human cancer. The others are experts on DNA repair and genomic instability in carcinogenesis, mouse models of cancer, neuroimmunology, structural biology, tumor-suppressor gene identification and function, and functional genomics and proteomics. In 2006, the Department added Matthew During, MD, PhD, an expert in neurobiology, gene therapy and vector development. More than 65 percent of MVIMG faculty garner independent research funds; nearly 65 percent maintain multiple grant awards. MVIMG is aligned with Ohio State’s Human Cancer Genetics Program, also directed by Croce

Ongoing Research Programs

Research programs within MVIMG are focused on the molecular genetics of human disease and disease- causing organisms. Expertise ranges from basic biophysical analysis to clinical translation in:
Molecular genetics of cancer (Samir Acharya, PhD; Carlo Croce, MD; Ramana Davuluri, PhD; Albert de la Chapelle, MD, PhD; Matthew During, MD, PhD; Richard Fishel, PhD; Joanna Groden, PhD; Denis Guttridge, PhD; Tim Huang, PhD; Kay Huebner, PhD; Kimberly Kelly, PhD; Gustavo Leone, PhD; Michael Ostrowski, PhD; Yuri Pekarski, PhD; Danilo Perrotti, MD, PhD; Christoph Plass, PhD; Fredika Robertson, PhD; Amanda Toland, PhD).
DNA repair and genomic stability (Samir Acharya, PhD; Richard Fishel, PhD; Joanna Groden, PhD; Kay Huebner, PhD; Helen Pace, PhD; Deborah Parris, PhD; Christoph Plass, PhD; Christoph Schmutte, PhD; Marshal Williams, PhD)
Immunology and immunogenetics (Carlo Croce, MD; Ronald Glaser, PhD; Jonathon Godbout, PhD; Kay Huebner, PhD; Tim Huang, PhD; James Lang, PhD; Danilo Perrotti, MD, PhD; Christoph Plass, PhD; Phillip Popovich, PhD; Virginia Sanders, PhD; Caroline Whitacre, PhD)
Bacterial and viral pathogenesis (Richard Fishel, PhD; Louise Fong, PhD; John Gunn, PhD; John Hughes, PhD; Deborah Parris, PhD; William Lafuse, PhD; James Shaw, PhD)

Research Accomplishments of 2006

Identification of specific microRNAs as causative for solid and hematopoietic tumors
Discovery of novel DNA repair-based cellular mechanisms for defense against retroviral infection
New combined bioinformatics methods for systems biology analysis
Description of epigenetic regulation of tumor-suppressor genes in lung and head and neck tumors