Jesse J. Kwiek, PhD                                   

Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine and The Department of Microbiology, Center for Microbial Interface Biology


1008 BRT
460 W. 12th Ave.
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-3256
Kwiek.2@osu,edu

Jesse Kwiek, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology

Research Focus

Prevention of HIV-1 mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) has been successfully implemented in the developed world, where the annual incidence of MTCT has been reduced to less than 2%; for example, in 2005, the USA reported 86 cases of perinatally acquired HIV (Ref.). However, in the developing world, HIV-1 MTCT remains a serious public health problem, with approximately 530,000 children newly HIV-1 infected in 2006 (http://www.unaids.org/). Approximately 20% of all MTCT occurs in utero, and although many countries are scaling up programs to provide single-dose nevirapine prophylaxis (http://www.globalfundatm.org/), this treatment will not reduce in utero MTCT.

The Kwiek lab seeks to better understand the molecular biology and epidemiology of in utero HIV-1 MTCT. This will be accomplished, in collaboration with colleagues at both The Ohio State University and The Malawi College of Medicine, by addressing the following questions:

1. Are specific HIV-1 envelope genotypes or phenotypes associated with HIV-1 MTCT?

2. Does the placenta represent a unique HIV-1 compartment?

3. Where does HIV-1 localize in the placenta?

4. Do transmitted HIV-1 envelope genes have enhanced tropism against primary placental trophoblasts?

Education

Post-doc, Epidemiology, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2003-7
Ph.D., Pharmacology, University of Virginia, 2003
United States Peace Corps, Malawi, 1995-6
B.S., Biochemistry, University of Rochester, 1995

Links

Recent Publications