Brief Summary of research: 

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health burden that infects 1-2% of the world population and leads to ~500,000 deaths and an estimated 1.5-2 million new infections annually.
Direct-acting antivirals effectively treat HCV infection, yet face major issues making the development of additional therapeutics and an effective vaccine critical to prevent HCV spread.
 
Our research objectives are:

• To study the immune recognition neutralization of HCV by the adaptive immune system.
• To explore the interactions between the HCV envelope proteins and the host cells receptors.
• Structural elucidation of the entry mechanism of HCV and HCV-related hepaciviruses.

Specific research topics related to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology:

To achieve these objectives, we utilize structural (X-ray crystallography), biochemical and functional tools. A deep understanding of the interaction between HCV and the host cells and will be use to facilitate structural-based design of novel therapeutics and subunit vaccine immunogens for better controlling of HCV spread.