Our Science – Troyer Website

Jennifer L. Troyer, Ph.D.

Laboratory of Genomic Diversity Genetics Section Staff Scientist (Contr) NCI-Frederick Building 560, Room 21-48 Frederick, MD 21702 Phone:   301-846-7478 Fax:   301-846-1909 E-Mail:   jt241a@nih.gov

Biography

Dr. Troyer received her Ph.D. in genetics from the department of Molecular and Cell Biology at University of Connecticut under Dr. Linda D. Strausbaugh. Her dissertation research involved the genetic organization and evolution of repetitive elements in Drosophila species. She received further training in phylogenetics, virology, pathology, and immunology as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Stephen J. Dr. O'Brien and Dr. Jill Pecon-Slattery at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity and then with Dr. Sue VandeWoude in the Department of Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Pathology at Colorado State University. Dr. Troyer now provides her expertise in genetics and virology to research on HIV/AIDS and animal models for viral diseases as a staff scientist (SAIC-Frederick technical support contractor) at the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity.

Research

The research in my lab stems from my interest in complex host reactions to retroviral infection and the mechanisms by which these viruses evade or exploit their host's defenses. We study viral-host interactions in several ways. On a population level, we identify human genes that, either through direct interaction with HIV-1 or via indirect influence on the ability of the host immune system to respond to and control infection, influence susceptibility to and outcome of HIV-1 infection. On a species level, we use comparative genomics to examine the evolution of anti-viral host proteins. We also compare viral sequences to determine patterns of within and cross-species transmission and identify viral genetic determinates of pathogenicity.

This page was last updated on 9/18/2008.