Amy L. Adamson

In my lab we study how viruses interact with human cells and how such interactions might cause disease. We work with two human viruses: Epstein-Barr virus, which infects about 95% of the worlds population and causes infectious mononucleosis and some cancers, and Influenza, which causes “the flu” and has in the past caused major epidemics and pandemics. My lab studies these viruses in two different ways: through traditional cell culture experiments, and with the genetic model organism Drosophila. Both approaches have yielded interesting insights into how Epstein-Barr and Influenza viral proteins interact with and affect cellular machinery. Currently, our Drosophila work with Epstein-Barr virus is supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.