BioE Seminar: Engineering Viruses for Gene Therapy

Abstract: The Asokan Lab is focused on synthetic virology and gene therapy. Our two-pronged, cross-disciplinary approach hinges at the interface of molecular biology, virology and genetics. One arm utilizes structural biology, protein engineering and directed evolution to generate viral vectors with novel function(s) to treat genetic disease. The other arm is focused on engineering RNA elements to modulate viral gene expression. In the past decade, we have made significant contributions towards dissecting and manipulating the structure-function correlates of virus-host interactions. This approach has yielded several gene therapy platforms currently being evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies to treat genetic disorders such as muscular dystrophy, cardiac failure and neuropathies. Our overall mission is to engineer innovative technology platforms that enable transformative, new medicines.