In my lab we study the human oncogenic retrovirus, human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1). HTLV-1 is the causative infectious agent of both HAM/TSP, a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, and ATL, an aggressive and fatal disease of CD4+ T-cells. HTLV-1-associated disease development occurs after an extensive clinical latency period upwards of several decades and lacks ideal therapeutic strategies. Not only is prognosis poor, but the molecular mechanism(s) behind disease development are not well understood. My lab takes an integrated approach to understand the cellular and viral players involved in genetic and epigenetic regulation of HTLV-1 gene expression and oncogenesis. We utilize molecular tools, coupled with both in vitro and in vivo models of infection and disease. Several of the ongoing projects in my lab include: 1) the role of HTLV-1 envelope in CD4+ T-cell transformation tropism and disease, 2) the role of PRMT5 in HTLV-1 biology and T-cell proliferation, 3) genome editing to prevent HTLV-1 disease, and 4) contributions of HBZ to HTLV-1 pathobiology. I am happy to provide more details on these projects, if necessary.