Cristian Apetrei, MD, PhD

Dr. Apetrei’s Laboratory uses nonhuman primate models to address issues of simian immunodeficiency virus diversity and pathogenesis in natural hosts and upon cross-species transmission. Our overriding philosophy is that every aspect of HIV research can and should be modeled in appropriate animal models in order to understand the basic mechanisms that underlie disease processes and implement therapeutic approaches to control the deleterious consequences of HIV infection. Dr. Apetrei pioneered SIV pathogenesis in the wild and was actively involved during the last decades in modeling different aspects of HIV pathogenesis in nonhuman primate hosts. The current focus of his research is to assess the role of the gut dysfunction in the pathogenesis of HIV infection and to elaborate strategies to counter it in nonhuman primate models through multiple approaches. The lab is also involved in testing multiple approaches for cure research: virus reactivation with romidepsin, improvement of virus control and reactivation through regulatory T cells and the role of autovaccination in boosting an effective immune response that might lead to a functional cure of HIV. Dr. Apetrei is also involved in collaborative studies testing strategies to control chronic immune activation and prevent comorbidities in HIV-infected patients.