Luis Del Valle, MD, is a neuropathologist with appointments as an Associate Professor in the departments of pathology and medicine (hematology/oncology) as well as in the Cancer Center, where he is a member of the neurological cancer research program, which he and Krystoff Reiss established in 2010. Dr. Del Valle earned his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, School of Medicine, Mexico City, in 1990, after which he completed a residency program in anatomic pathology and fellowships in neuropathology and neurovirology at Thomas Jefferson University and Drexel University in Philadelphia, respectively. One of founding members of the International Society for Neurovirology, he investigates the relationship between brain tumors and the human polyomavirus JCV, a common virus which is present in 70-90% of the population and is known to cause opportunistic diseases in immunodeficient patients, especially those with AIDS or who are organ transplant recipients. In fact, his group discovered an association between the presence of JCV and the development of human brain tumors.

One area of current research focus is the manner by which JCV may disrupt the natural death mechanisms of brain cells. Infection with this virus extends the life of oligodendrocytes, which are the myelin (insulation)-producing cells of the brain. The increased lifespan leads to active viral replication and the development of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. In astrocytes, which are supportive brain cells, JCV is believed to promote transformation, extending their lifespan much further beyond their natural cycle, thereby allowing for mutations to accumulate and malignancies to form.

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