Pioneering the Study of HTLV-1 to Stop Adult T-Cell Leukemia Progression
HTLV-1 is a retroviral infection, which is a type of virus with RNA instead of DNA as its genetic material. This virus is typically spread by blood transfusions, sexual contact or sharing needles, although it can also be spread during birth from mother to child or during breastfeeding.
While HTLV-1 generally does not cause signs or symptoms, it can develop into adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) — a rare and aggressive type of cancer that is found in the blood, lymph nodes and skin.
Currently, there is no cure or effective treatment for HTLV-1 associated disease.
The Green Lab research team is working to understand how HTLV-1 causes cells to become cancerous, with the goal of using this knowledge to define or develop more effective therapeutics to combat the virus/virus-infected cell before it develops into leukemia or lymphoma.
Sources: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
Mission
At the OSUCCC – James, the nationally and internationally recognized Green Lab research experts are pioneering the study of HTLV-1 genes to better understand how the virus progresses into leukemia. By developing a greater understanding of the microenvironmental, cellular and viral factors that lead to this progression, researchers can better develop effective therapies to combat the virus before it may cause leukemia/lymphoma or other HTLV-1-associated disease.
The lab’s groundbreaking work also focuses on identifying unique targets for diagnosing and treating HTLV-1 infection, adult T-cell leukemia and related leukemia/lymphomas.
To accomplish this, these research experts are focusing on viral genes that interact with cellular pathways. This interaction causes these cells to grow uncontrollably and proliferate, but by keeping this growth at bay, the risk of progressing into cancer may be significantly reduced.
Green Lab researchers are one of the few lab teams worldwide that is studying HTLV-1 pathogenesis utilizing molecular infectious virus clones, primary human T-cells and relevant in vivo animal studies. The lab’s experts pioneered the study of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 accessory genes, opening up new paradigms of how these delta retroviruses establish infection and set the stage for lymphocyte transformation.
Information gained from these studies continues to provide novel insights into how retroviral proteins maximize their functional properties to influence cell biology.
For more information on the team, collaborations, opportunities and lab-specific inquiries, please contact green.466@osu.edu or visit https://vet.osu.edu/PatrickGreen.