Welcome to the Wong Laboratory, located at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, West Campus. Our laboratory employs state-of-the-art molecular, genetic and virological techniques to elucidate how simian gamma-herpesviruses infect and replicate in cell culture and eventually how they cause illnesses in vivo. We were the first to demonstrate that experimental inoculation of immunocompromised monkeys with simian herpesviruses results in disease manifestations that closely resemble those observed in people living with HIV. Utilizing these approaches, they are identifying the viral determinants that contribute to disease and are developing novel recombinant simian herpesviruses to help prevent viral disease.