Isabela Fraga de Andrade, PhD

In the Sugden Lab, we work to understand how two gamma herpesviruses, KSHV and EBV, function to transform normal cells into cancer cells. For my project, I have been using CRISPR tools to conduct screens, which allow me to interrogate which viral genes are necessary for such transformation and growth of cancer cells. Particularly, we are interested in understanding the role of both of these viruses in primary effusion lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of lymphoma that occurs in immunocompromised patients. Our model system includes many cell lines, mostly B-cells, either derived from patient’s samples or generated by our group.