Zandrea Ambrose, PhD
- Associate Professor
- Secondary appointment, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, School of Public Health
- Director, Program in Microbiology and Immunology (PMI)
- Member, Pittsburgh Center for HIV Protein Interactions (PCHPI)
- Member, Center for Evolutionary Biology and Medicine (CEBaM)
- Member, Center for Vaccine Research (CVR)
- Member, Cancer Virology Program (CVP)
- Member, Rustbelt Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Fellow in HIV Dynamics and Replication, National Cancer Institute, 2007
- PhD in Pathobiology, University of Washington, 2001
- BA in Zoology and Pre-Medicine, Ohio Wesleyan University, 1994
Research Interests
The Ambrose laboratory studies HIV pathogenesis and therapeutics. We use both molecular and cellular retrovirology methods as well as in vivo models to address important questions about HIV infection and drugs for prevention and treatment, including:
- Biology of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 interactions with host proteins
- Novel HIV inhibitors and drug resistance
- Novel methods for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and antiretroviral therapy delivery
- HIV evolution and persistence in blood and tissues, including during co-infection with M. tuberculosis or hepatitis B virus
Publications
Zhong Z, Ning J, Boggs EA, Jang S, Wallace C, Telmer C, Bruchez MP, Ahn J, Engelman AN, Zhang P, Watkins SC and Ambrose Z. 2021. Cytoplasmic CPSF6 Regulates HIV-1 Capsid Trafficking and Infection in a Cyclophilin A-Dependent Manner. mBio. 12: doi: 10.1128/mBio.03142-20. | View Abstract
Xu C, Fischer DK, Rankovic S, Li W, Dick RA, Runge B, Zadorozhnyi R, Ahn J, Aiken C, Polenova T, Engelman AN, Ambrose Z, Rousso I and Perilla JR. 2020. Permeability of the HIV-1 capsid to metabolites modulates viral DNA synthesis. PLoS Biol. 18: e3001015. | View Abstract
Melody K, Roy CN, Kline C, Cottrell ML, Evans D, Shutt K, Pennings PS, Keele BF, Bility M, Kashuba ADM and Ambrose Z. 2020. Long-Acting Rilpivirine (RPV) Preexposure Prophylaxis Does Not Inhibit Vaginal Transmission of RPV-Resistant HIV-1 or Select for High-Frequency Drug Resistance in Humanized Mice. J Virol. 94: doi: 10.1128/JVI.01912-19. | View Abstract
Diedrich CR, Rutledge T, Maiello P, Baranowski TM, White AG, Borish HJ, Karell P, Hopkins F, Brown J, Fortune SM, Flynn JL, Ambrose Z and Lin PL. 2020. SIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis synergy within the granuloma accelerates the reactivation pattern of latent tuberculosis. PLoS Pathog. 16: e1008413. | View Abstract
Feder AF, Kline C, Polacino P, Cottrell M, Kashuba ADM, Keele BF, Hu SL, Petrov DA, Pennings PS and Ambrose Z. 2017. A spatio-temporal assessment of simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) evolution reveals a highly dynamic process within the host. PLoS Pathog. 13: e1006358. | View Abstract