Research Bio
Britt Glaunsinger is the Class of 1963 Chair and a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. The Glaunsinger lab explores how viruses interface with an infected cell, as well as how they hijack cellular machinery for their own use. They are particularly interested in how herpesviruses shape the gene expression environment of their host cell. They primarily study gamma-herpesviruses, including Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, which is a major cause of AIDS-associated cancers. They anticipate that these studies will enhance our understanding of virus-host interactions, as well as provide insight into how gene expression pathways are normally regulated in human cells.
Research Expertise and Interest
virology, gene expression, herpesvirus
In the News
Of virulent viruses and reservoir hosts
Glaunsinger, Martin named Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators
Andreas Martin, an associate professor of molecular and cell biology, and Britt Glaunsinger, an associate professor of plant and microbial biology, are the campus’s newest Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.
Researcher tweaks cells with mRNA, in quest to improve antivirals
Berkeley biochemist Britt Glaunsinger studies the cell-takeover tactics of herpes viruses. "Antivirals only work on viruses that are replicating," she says. Discovering ways "to lure latent viruses out of hiding, en masse," is critical to curing herpes, shingles, or HIV.