Cynthia A. Derdeyn, Ph.D.
Area of Research: HIV/AIDS
Cynthia A. Derdeyn (b.1964) obtained her Ph.D. Degree from Georgia
State University in 1994 studying the generation of defective-interfering
particles by rubella virus. She began investigating HIV-1 pathogenesis
as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Ronald Collman at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In 1997, she joined Dr. Pat
Bucy in the Department of Pathology at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham to study HIV-1 latency. In 1999, she began working
with Dr. Eric Hunter in the Department of Microbiology at the
University of Alabama at Birmingham and initiated her translational
research programs into the mechanisms of HIV-1 entry and heterosexual
transmission. Dr. Derdeyn recently joined the Emory Vaccine Center
as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine.
Research
To study heterosexual transmission of HIV-1, we have analyzed
the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of viruses transmitted
between partners enrolled in a large HIV-discordant couple cohort
in Zambia (The Zambia-Emory HIV Research Project, Dr. Susan Allen,
P.I.). We have characterized over 200 viral Env proteins derived
from eight donor-recipient transmission pairs, and have found
that transmission consistently selects for a compact, neutralization-sensitive
variant of the HIV-1 surface glycoprotein, gp120. We are currently
extending these studies to investigate the nature of this strong
selection on the env gene during transmission and to understand
how the Env glycoproteins evolve from early infection into chronic
disease. Information provided from these studies will also be
used to design Env-based vaccine immunogens targeted at eliciting
a potent neutralizing antibody response.
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