RESEARCH AREAS
01
Virus–Host Interactions
How viruses hijack, evade, and coevolve with host cells.
02
Multiomics & New Approach Methodologies for Vaccine Evaluation
Integrating multiomic data to evaluate vaccine safety and performance.
03
Andes virus transmission & genomic epidemiology
Tracking transmission and evolution of a person-to-person hantavirus.
04
Ebola virus persistence
How Ebola virus persists long after acute infection resolves.
05
Reservoir immunology & viral spillover
Why some hosts tolerate viruses that are lethal to others.
06
Orthopoxvirus replication & tropism
How orthopoxviruses replicate, adapt, and evade immunity.
01
Virus–Host Interactions
We study how viruses interact with host cells and which cellular processes they depend on to enter, replicate, evade defenses, and spread. By identifying these biological dependencies, we aim to better understand the mechanisms that shape infection and reveal potential points of intervention.
02
Multiomics & New Approach Methodologies for Vaccine Evaluation
We integrate multiomic approaches and new approach methodologies (NAMs) to study how biological systems respond to vaccination. Our work seeks to generate a deeper understanding of immune responses and support the evaluation of vaccine safety, durability, and biological performance.
03
Andes virus transmission & genomic epidemiology
Andes virus is one of the few hantaviruses known to transmit from person to person under specific conditions. In our lab, we study the genomic epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and evolutionary patterns of Andes virus to better understand how outbreaks emerge, spread, and can be investigated in real time.
04
Ebola virus persistence
Ebola virus disease is most often understood through its acute phase, but the virus can persist in immune-privileged tissues long after infection. The Palacios Lab studies how Ebola virus and related filoviruses establish long-term persistence, reactivate, and contribute to late clinical complications in survivors.
05
Reservoir immunology & viral spillover
Many emerging viruses originate in animal reservoirs before crossing into humans. Our team investigates how differences between reservoir hosts and humans shape the likelihood of viral spillover, adaptation, and disease, using Egyptian rousette bats and Marburg virus as a model.
06
Orthopoxvirus replication & tropism
Orthopoxviruses include several human-infecting viruses, among them monkeypox virus, now commonly referred to as mpox virus. In our lab, we study how orthopoxviruses replicate, adapt, and interact with host cells, with a particular interest in viral features that influence tropism, transmission, and immune recognition.