Our research focuses on understanding the structure and function of the most versatile of all biological macromolecules: RNA. Our main focus is to understand RNAs produced and used by viruses to take over an infected cell. We are motivated by two premises: (1) infectious diseases (such as viruses) are still the largest threat to human health worldwide, and (2) by studying how viruses take over the cell’s machinery, we learn a tremendous amount about fundamental processes within the cell itself.
For more information on our research interests and projects in the lab, please visit the Kieft Lab website.