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Fall 2017

Hou, Shangmei

Flaviviruses are important human pathogens that have an enormous impact on global health. Examples that have been studied in my research include dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV) and most recently, Zika virus (ZIKV). Currently, there are very few vaccines against or therapeutic...

Fall 2010

Marcet, Candy

Mast cells are immune cells important in innate immunity. Besides their role in asthma and allergies, mast cells are critical effector cells against various pathogens. Mast cells are established to be protective against bacterial infections, but little is known about their functions in viral...

Spring 2016

Lin, Zhen

Analysis and interpretation of next generation sequencing data has posed a significant challenge to researchers, especially to those who are not equipped with expertise in bioinformatics. In this thesis, I investigated three different biomedical questions using NGS and bioinformatic approaches,...

Spring 2014

Urbanowski, Matthew D.

The introduction of WNV into North America in 1999 was followed by rapid spread throughout the continent. Today, WNV is an endemic pathogen in the west, with thousands of cases of severe infection reported annually. In addition to traditional vaccine research, there is an urgent need to...

Fall 2015

Tetrault, David G

The influenza A viral RNA polymerase is responsible for viral replication and greatly affects influenza A virus (IAV) virulence and host range. The PB2 influenza polymerase subunit is the primary polymerase determinant of influenza host range and virulence. It was previously shown that PB2...

Fall 2015

Kumar, Ankit

Influenza is a major respiratory disease caused by influenza virus. Recent spread of the extremely pathogenic avian and swine influenza viruses paint a morbid picture of the emergence of a more lethal influenza virus in future. Currently, hypodermic needles are being dominantly employed in...

Fall 2012

Lau, Darren C H

While guidelines for seasonal influenza vaccinations single out working age (< 65) adults with diabetes, vaccination rates in this group remain below national targets. Historically, there has been limited evidence to support these guidelines. This dissertation comprises four studies investigating...

Fall 2012

Stanislaus Alphonse, Anthuvan Rajesh

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are life-threatening lung diseases affecting newborn infants. Both diseases are characterized by impaired lung development and are currently untreatable. Dysregulation in the number or function of lung progenitor cells is...

Spring 2016

Reid, Colleen R.

Flaviviruses, such as West Nile virus (WNV), Powassan virus (POW), and Saint Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), are significant pathogens capable of causing serious neurological disease in both humans and animals. Despite their relevance to human health, treatment and vaccines for these viruses...

Fall 2010

Wagner, Melany

This thesis defines a novel role for the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) tegument protein, virion protein (VP) 11/12 as a modulator of host cell signalling. Studies aimed at examining infection induced lymphocyte inactivation, revealed that VP11/12 is tyrosine phosphorylated in three lymphocyte...