Mullins Molecular Retrovirology Lab

The Mullins laboratory is located in the Rosen Building on the South Lake Union campus of the University of Washington School of Medicine. Our lab uses molecular, computational, and virus biology techniques to provide insights into the relationship between HIV and its human hosts in an effort to fight the AIDS pandemic. We use a variety of methods to document and understand the implications of HIV's extraordinary genetic diversity on the immunopathogenesis of AIDS, with a particular emphasis on acute/early infection and superinfection. We then apply this information to develop more effective vaccines and therapies in collaboration with other investigators. Our research work focuses on the acquisition and computational characterization of HIV nucleotide sequences, the development of web tools for related computational studies, in vitro studies of the growth properties of viral isolates, host genetic polymorphism analysis, and high-throughput analysis of cellular transcription.

Lab News

New research featured in Science

"Cancer Genes Help HIV Persist, Complicating Cure Efforts."Science News & Analysis, 14 March 2014

RV144 Analysis Featured by Nature

"Vaccine trial reveals chinks in HIV's armour."Nature | News, 10 September 2012

Step Trial Analysis Featured in UW Today

"For first time, scientists show an HIV vaccine impacts the genetic makeup of the virus." UW Today, 1 March 2011

Recent Publications

Edlefsen PT, Rolland M, Hertz T, Tovanabutra S, Gartland AJ, deCamp AC, Magaret CA, Ahmed H, Gottardo R, Juraska M, McCoy C, Larsen BB, Sanders-Buell E, Carrico C, Menis S, Bose M, , Arroyo MA, O'Connell RJ, Nitayaphan S, Pitisuttithum P, Kaewkungwal J, Rerks-Ngarm S, Robb ML, Kirys T, Georgiev IS, Kwong PD, Scheffler K, Pond SL, Carlson JM, Michael NL, Schief WR, Mullins JI, Kim JH, Gilbert PB 2015 Comprehensive Sieve Analysis of Breakthrough HIV-1 Sequences in the RV144 Vaccine Efficacy Trial. PLoS computational biology112e1003973 pubmed

Ceresola ER, Nozza S, Sampaolo M, Pignataro AR, Saita D, Ferrarese R, Ripa M, Deng W, Mullins JI, Boeri E, Tambussi G, Toniolo A, Lazzarin A, Clementi M, Canducci F 2015 Performance of commonly used genotypic assays and comparison with phenotypic assays of HIV-1 coreceptor tropism in acutely HIV-1-infected patients. The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapyEpub ahead of print pubmed

Moroni M, Ghezzi S, Baroli P, Heltai S, De Battista D, Pensieroso S, Cavarelli M, Dispinseri S, Vanni I, Pastori C, Zerbi P, Tosoni A, Vicenzi E, Nebuloni M, Wong K, Zhao H, McHugh S, Poli G, Lopalco L, Scarlatti G, Biassoni R, Mullins JI, Malnati MS, Alfano M 2014 Spontaneous control of HIV-1 viremia in a subject with protective HLA-B plus HLA-C alleles and HLA-C associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. Journal of translational medicine12:335 pubmed

Mackelprang RD, Carrington M, Thomas KK, Hughes JP, Baeten JM, Wald A, Farquhar C, Fife K, Campbell MS, Kapiga S, Gao X, Mullins JI, Lingappa JR 2015 Host Genetic and Viral Determinants of HIV-1 RNA Set Point among HIV-1 Seroconverters from Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of virology8942104-11 pubmed

Mothe B, Hu X, Llano A, Rosati M, Olvera A, Kulkarni V, Valentin A, Alicea C, Sardesai NJ, Rocafort M, Crespo M, Carrillo J, Marco A, Mullins JI, Dorrell L, Hanke T, Clotet B, Pavlakis GN, Felber BK, Brander C 2014 A Novel T-cell Vaccine Eliciting T-cell Specificities Associated with Control of HIV-1 In Humans Is Highly Immunogenic in Mice and Macaques. AIDS research and human retroviruses30 Suppl 1A76 pubmed