Jeremy P Kamil, PhD

The Kamil laboratory studies diverse aspects of the molecular interplay between viruses and their hosts, focusing primarily on human cytomegalovirus (aka HCMV or CMV). CMV is the #1 infectious cause of birth defects: Approximately 1 in 200 U.S. newborns are born congenitally infected with the virus. CMV also frequently causes life-threatening disease in immune compromised patients, such as recipients of solid organ and stem cell transplants. Although approximately 50% of us carry the virus, infection often occurs silently. As with all herpesviruses, CMV infects for life. The CMV genome (235 kbp) is the largest of any virus that causes human disease, and a large portion is dedicated to immune evasion functions that enable CMV to defy long established paradigms in viral immunology. For instance, CMV readily (re-)infects people who carry the virus, despite the presence of enormous numbers of circulating CMV-specific effector memory T cells. The U.S. Academy of Medicine over 20 years ago designated the development of vaccine to prevent congenital CMV infection as a Tier 1 priority. Nonetheless, vaccine candidates have time and time again failed, and CMV remains among the most vexing challenges in modern vaccinology. The Kamil laboratory is investigating how CMV exploits glycobiology to hide within the host, and are also studying a new virion surface glycoprotein complex that plays roles in entry, which we recently discovered together with our collaborators. The lab is also interested in the fundamental cell biology underlying how CMV overtakes the host cell and manipulates the secretory pathway.