Veronica Heintz

Current Research Interests:

Viruses have small genomes and are unable to encode all of the proteins needed to complete their life cycles. Thus, viruses rely on interactions with the host cell to promote their replication and transmission. Currently, I am working on two projects to identify virus-human protein-protein interactions (PPIs). The first project aims to identify PPIs that are critical for replication of filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburgvirus. Through genome-wide yeast twohybrid screens we are generating a high-quality PPI network, which will reveal shared cellular pathways targeted by these related viruses. My second project focuses on Zika virus-human PPIs. My goal is to better understand how Zika virus causes microcephaly in babies born to mothers that have been infected during pregnancy. Overall, these two projects will establish a deeper understanding of interactions that occur between human and viral proteins during viral infection.