Meier, Jeffery, M.D.

Dr. Meier's research interests are in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV). He is Director of the University of Iowa HIV Clinical Trials Program and is involved in translational and clinical research of other infectious diseases. His molecular virology laboratory group studies human CMV, with special focus on the molecular mechanisms by which CMV infects, persists, and causes disease in its human host. These studies have public health relevance because CMV is the leading infectious cause of birth defects and commonly causes debilitating or life-threatening disease in persons with impaired immunity, e.g., resulting from AIDS or stem cell or solid organ transplantation. The research aims to delineate pivotal regulatory mechanisms involved in controlling CMV replication, latency, and reactivation, by use of state-of-the-art molecular and cellular biology techniques applied to different types of human cells and tissues. The results are anticipated to inform translational research in humans that strives to achieve the ultimate goal of developing novel approaches to abolish CMV activity and persistence.

Projects that are currently active in the laboratory entail: 1) molecular characterization of key signaling and regulatory pathways that reactivate and silence the CMV genome; 2) unraveling the molecular workings of CMV’s master control switch, which contains a very complex viral enhancer/promoter that switches-on or -off the expression of essential viral genes that are vital for initiating CMV replication; 3) elucidation of biologically important interactions between CMV and the innate immune system, including neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells; and 4) examination of the role of human vascular and adipose tissues in CMV infection and disease.