Episode 64: Where curiosity leads: From engineering dreams to virology breakthroughs

Amy Barber was joined by Dr. Pierce Longmire, a postdoctoral research assistant in the lab of BIO5 member Felicia Goodrum in the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. The overarching goal of the Goodrum lab is to understand how viruses can asymptomatically coexist within a human host. They study the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), using it as a model for defining and understanding interactions between viruses and their hosts that allow for the entry into and exit from latent states. Dr. Longmire works on HCMV interactions with the host DNA damage response. This research may lead to the creation of novel antiviral therapies for at-risk individuals, such as stem cell and organ transplant recipients.