 Udeni B.R. Balasuriya, BVSc, MS, PhD
Gluck Equine Research Center
Department of Veterinary Science
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40546-0099
E-mail: ubalasuriya@uky.edu
Phone: (859) 218-1124
Fax: (859) 257-8542
Curriculum
Vitae
News: Udeni Balasuriya Awarded Grant for Equine Viral Arteritis Research
The major focus of my laboratory is to definitively characterize the molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of equine arteritis virus (EAV) and equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infections of horses, and to develop improved diagnostic and prophylactic reagents to control these economically important viral diseases.
In addition, some of the recent studies in my laboratory are focused on characterizing the virus-host interactions by combining contemporary molecular biology techniques and host genomic analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS). Specifically, these studies are focused on identifying the cellular factors involved in EAV pathogenesis, as well as studying the interaction between equine CD3+ T lymphocytes and EAV to better understand the establishment of persistent infection in stallions in the presence of high serum neutralizing antibody titers.
An additional focus of my research is development of new diagnostic and vaccine technologies, definition of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of other important equine viral diseases, and the recognition of novel and emerging viral diseases of the horse.
My long-term goal is to provide a state-of-the-art research resource as well as diagnostic expertise, reagents, and technology that are dedicated to the horse, and to facilitate transfer of this technology and expertise to appropriate partners and collaborators, as well as veterinarians, post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate trainees. |
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