About us

The Hirsch lab studies multiple facets of the interaction of flaviviruses with the infected host. Currently, our work focuses on Zika, West Nile, Powassan, and dengue viruses, although we can extend our research to newly emerging pathogens. We are interested in identifying and characterizing important cellular proteins/ pathways involved in flaviviruses infection, as well as the interplay between the virus and cellular innate immunity. This work has also been extended to translational programs directed at the discovery of anti-flaviviral molecules, and the identification of adjuvants that boost the response to flavivirus specific vaccine candidates. The lab is also interested in flavivirus pathogenesis, and to this end we have established a non-human primate model of Zika virus infection, allowing investigation of mechanisms of fetal injury during viral infection and testing of potential therapeutic interventions.