LABORATORY OF VIROLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Dr. Marukian joined the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C in 2004 and works with Dr. Lynn Dustin to investigate the function of the immune system during HCV infection. Dr. Marukian completed her thesis work under supervision of Dr. Lynn Dustin in the laboratory of Dr. Charles Rice. She received her PhD from the Yerevan State University in 2008. She previously worked with Dr. Thomas Moran at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, studying the mechanisms by which influenza virus evades the innate and adaptive immune responses. Dr. Marukian is currently focused on investigating the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on HCV infection. She is also interested in HCV tropism, the interactions of opsonized HCV with antigen presenting cells, and is conducting gene expression analysis of primary lymphocytes and hepatocytes exposed to the virus.