Richard Kuhn

Title:

Trent and Judith Anderson Distinguished Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

SUNY Stony Brook

Contact:

Email Address: kuhnr@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-1164

Primary Training Group:

Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Secondary Training Groups:

Biomolecular Structure and Biophysics

Current Projects:

Our research focuses on understanding the biology of viruses that infect humans. Specifically, my lab is interested in viruses that contain a lipid bilayer membrane and contain plus strand RNA as their genetic material. These viruses are grouped in the Togaviridae and Flaviviridae families; some representative members include Sindbis, Ross River and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus for Togaviruses, and yellow fever, dengue, West Nile and hepatitis C virus for the Flaviviruses. Viruses within these two groups pose significant risks to large segments of the population, and methods for controlling infection and disease are few. Our goal is to understand all aspects of their replication cycle at the molecular level by integrating techniques from molecular genetics, biochemistry and structural biology.