James Lee, PhD

Our laboratory is broadly interested in how cells detect and respond to pathogens, and how these pathogens subvert host processes for their survival. We integrate approaches across biochemistry, chemical biology, cell biology, and structural biology to uncover molecular mechanisms of host immune surveillance pathways. A central focus of our research is understanding how DNA viruses manipulate host immunity during infection. The long-term goal of our work is to translate these mechanistic insights into new therapeutic strategies that mobilize the immune system against infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.

Ongoing projects in the lab include:

• Visualizing the structure and dynamics of viral entry
• Tracking pathways of antigen processing and presentation
• Characterizing mechanisms of viral immune evasion
• Engineering protein-based immune modulators