Lijun Rong

Associate Professor,

PhD, Purdue University, 1991

Room: 8133 COMRB, Tel: 312-355-0203

Email: lijun@uic.edu

VIP: Viral Infection and Pathogenesis Homepage

Link to CAVA Newsletter
Molecular Virology: Mechanisms o f Viral Entry

Our laboratory is focused on elucidating the entry mechanisms of several important animal viruses and on developing potential therapeutics against viral entry and pathogenesis. Currently we are working with Ebola and Marburg viruses, influenza viruses, hepatitis C virus (HCV), SARS-CoV, and subgroup A avian sarcoma and leukosis virus (ASLV-A).

All of these viruses are enveloped viruses, thus their entry to the target cells is solely determined by interactions between the viral glycoprotein(s) and its cognate cellular receptor(s). We are particularly interested in the following areas:

  1. Identification and characterization of the cellular receptor(s) for a particular virus
  2. Molecular, biochemical and structural analysis of the viral glycoproteins
  3. Mechanisms of glycoprotein/receptor interactions in membrane fusion and viral entry
  4. Development of therapeutic inhibitors against specific viral entry and infection