Angela Martin Amedee, PhD

The Amedee laboratory investigates the pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), with a focus on the viral and host factors responsible for transmission.  One area of research in the laboratory involves collaborative projects with scientist from the LSUHSC Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence to investigate the effects of alcohol consumption and drug abuse on HIV transmission and pathogenesis.  Other studies in the laboratory investigate the mechanisms involved in mother-to-infant transmission of HIV and the establishment and maintenance of viral reservoirs in women.  This work focuses on the selection and evolution of viral genotypes in the infant, as well as viral reservoirs, viral expression, and pathogenesis in females.  The Amedee laboratory also has ongoing collaborative projects with other LSUHSC faculty that investigate the interaction of sexually-transmitted diseases with HIV.  These studies are designed to decipher the dynamics of HIV replication and genital shedding, as well as susceptibility to HIV infection in the presence of co-infections using both clinical and in vitro cell culture studies.