Esther Shaffer, M.S.

Biography

I provide technical assistance to the Viral Biology Section (VBS) in our efforts to understand the genetic basis of resistance to retroviruses. I use in vitro cell-based assays, PCR, cloning, and gene sequencing and my work largely focuses on the various host range subgroups of the mouse leukemia viruses (MLVs), members of the gammaretrovirus genus. Our work also addresses how natural populations deal with endemic infection, how viruses and host restriction factors co-evolve, and what factors influence the transmission of potentially pathogenic viruses to new hosts.