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Dr. Mullins has been actively involved in the study of lentiviruses since 1980 and is a world authority in the study of HIV evolution during the course of infection. Dr. Mullins discovered the successful vaccine to protect against the feline leukemia retrovirus FeLV. His lab developed the heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) that has been used worldwide to track the molecular epidemiology of HIV. Dr. Mullins is a recipient of Massachusetts Governor's Recognition Award for Outstanding Contributions to AIDS Research and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He is the director of the Genomics core of the University of Washington-Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and is director and principle investigator for the Seattle Primary Infection Program (SEAPiP). He obtained his Ph.D. in cell biology and biochemistry from the University of Minnesota. Research in Dr. Mullins' laboratory assists the fight against AIDS by seeking insight into the development of the disease in order to refine therapies and create effective vaccines. By relating the use of the techniques of molecular, computational and in vitro virus biology to in vivo analyses of biological activity conducted by collaborating laboratories, his lab has focused on events relevant to the HIV-human host relationship, disease induction and progression. Specifically, the lab is defining characteristics of HIV genomic variants associated with tissue, fluid and cell type compartmentalization, and linking these to studies of virus transmission and the kinetics and manifestations of disease. Links between cellular and humoral immune responses and HIV genetic variation and variant proliferation within infected individuals are being investigated. His lab is also investigating improved methods to generate of effective AIDS vaccine antigens. | 