Studies on viral genetics to understand the SARS-CoV2 pandemic
In Spanish
Dr. Ramón Lorenzo Redondo, Ph.D. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. His work focuses on viral evolution and the interaction between viruses and the host during infection. His main interests are RNA viruses, specially HIV-1, evolutionary biology, and genomics. The ultimate goal of his research is to understand the virus-host system and its evolutionary properties in order to develop the best treatments and prevention strategies for human viral infections. Dr. Lorenzo has led published studies on the evolution of HIV-1 and contributed greatly to the field of HIV-1 host-virus genetics. To perform his research, Dr. Lorenzo uses state-of-the-art sequencing technologies and complex data analysis. His research on the field of the HIV-1 cure has contributed to high-impact and groundbreaking translational studies, including a Nature publication that examines the mechanisms of viral persistence in tissues of participants on antiretroviral therapy. Dr. Lorenzo has stablished collaborations with some of the most prominent investigators in the HIV-1 field and is a faculty member of the Third Coast Center for AIDS Research (TC CFAR). After the pandemic outbreak of SARS-CoV2 and due to his experience in studying viral molecular evolution, Dr. Lorenzo has been included in the Northwestern University’s team that studies this new virus. Specifically, his main focus is the study of the epidemic dynamics, at the local and global level, and possible changes in viral evolution that could be associated with different clinical outcomes of the infection. Additionally, he is the Chair of Community in ECUSA and a member of the board and a founder member of the Midwest chapter.
