Research Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Education
Graduate School:
2001 PhD, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Post-Graduate School:
2004 Post-Doctoral Associate, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
2009 Post-Doctoral Associate, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.
Research Interests
Gwen M. Taylor, PhD, is a research instructor in the laboratory of Terence Dermody, MD. She serves as lab manager and team lead for all laboratory projects focused on reovirus, an enteric, neurotropic virus with a broad host range. Dr. Taylor’s research interests are focused on reovirus pathogenesis, specifically the role of the NF-B pathway in reovirus-induced apoptosis.
The focus of her research is on reovirus pathogenesis. Mammalian reoviruses are neurotropic viruses that are highly virulent in young mammals. Like other neurotropic viruses, reovirus causes apoptosis in the murine central nervous system, leading to fatal encephalitis. Several neurotropic viruses, including reovirus, enterovirus type 71, and herpes simplex virus type 1, activate the transcription factor NF-B. The overall focus of Dr. Taylor’s research is to elucidate the process of NF-B-dependent apoptosis by reovirus in the central nervous system, to identify the contribution of cell type–specific NF-B signaling to reovirus neural pathogenesis, and to define factors under NF-B control that mediate apoptotic cell death in the central nervous system. Ultimately, this research enhances the understanding of pathogen-host interactions and may lead to the development of broadly applicable therapeutics for neurotropic virus infections.
View Dr.Taylor's full list of publications from PubMed.
