About the Lab

Babies born to mothers with a prenatal viral infection can have brain injuries. These injuries have the potential to affect the development and achievement of the child throughout the remainder of their life. Our goal is to preserve human potential by protecting the developing brain. Among many factors constraining such vast human potential, the complex relationship between environmental exposures and genetic predisposition to disease remains poorly understood––while still omnipresent and limiting. With more clarity, it might be possible to develop targeted therapies to protect the developing human brain, especially from intrusive viruses. Within the context of viral infections; The K-Labs is integrating novel systems modeling, laboratory studies, and clinical analyses to understand the causes of brain injury and develop therapies to protect the human brain.

Collaborations

Nath Lab, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Haydar Lab, Boston University
Zika Instituto Fernandes Figueira, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
Vigilancia de Embarazadas con Zika (VEZ) and Zika en Embarazadas y Niños (ZEN) cohorts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Instituto Nacional de Salud de Colombia
Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo
Zika in Infants and Pregnancy (ZIP) study, National Institutes of Health
Department of Pathology, Children's National Hospital
Dr. Tamer Mansour, University of California, Davis
Dr. Arianna Smith, Kenyon College
Prenatal Infection and Neurodevelopmental Genetics (PING) Consortium

Funding

Our work has been supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Child Neurology Society and Foundation, and the Ryland Strong Foundation. We are grateful for the generosity of those who make this work possible.

Current and Past Funding