Project Title: Harnessing Cell-to-Cell Variability to Understand Viral Infection Outcomes
Award Year: 2022
Biography
Dr. Drayman’s lab is fascinated with the vast heterogeneity presented by seemingly identical cells during all stages of viral infection. Previous work, as well as that of many others, have shown extreme cell-to-cell variability among infected cells in the timing and level of viral gene expression and the number of progeny they produce.
Dr. Drayman’s lab aim to uncover the molecular determinants of viral infection outcome, a fundamental question in Virology and Cell Biology, the answer to which will allow the rational design of new anti-viral therapies. The research in the lab focuses on developing new approaches to interrogate virus-host interactions at the single cell level, by combining viral genetics, single-cell RNA-sequencing, microfluidics, live-cell imaging, and machine learning, using Herpes Simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) as a model system.