Author name: Vincent Racaniello

I'm Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Columbia University in New York. I run a research lab where we study poliovirus, rhinovirus, and other RNA viruses. I also love teaching about viruses - check out virology.ws, microbe.tv, or iTunes University for some of my offerings. I want to be Earth's virology professor.

A new virology course at Columbia University

Tomorrow is the start of my new virology course at Columbia University. The course, Biology W3310, is aimed at advanced undergraduates and will be taught at the Morningside Campus of Columbia University. Columbia University encompasses two principal campuses: the historic, neoclassical campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood and the modern Medical Center further uptown, in …

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TWiV 66: Reverse transcription

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier Vincent and Dickson continue virology 101 with a discussion of information flow from RNA to DNA, a process known as reverse transcription, which occurs in cells infected with retroviruses, hepatitis B virus, cauliflower mosaic virus, foamy viruses, and even in uninfected cells. This episode is sponsored by Data Robotics …

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Radio Sandy Springs interview

I was recently interviewed on Radio Sandy Springs by Sharon Sanders of FluTrackers. We talked about pandemic influenza H1N1 virus. Listen to the show below. [audio:https://www.virology.ws/InfectiousDiseaseJan042010.mp3 | titles=Infectious Disease Hour] Download Infectious Disease Hour January 4 2010 (20 MB .mp3, 57 minutes) Radio Sandy Springs 1620 AM is a low-powered Atlanta-based talk radio station that …

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Bornavirus DNA in the mammalian genome

The chromosomal DNA of several mammals has been found to contain sequences related to the nucleoprotein (N) gene of bornaviruses, enveloped viruses with a negative-strand RNA genome. I am amazed by this finding. How did bornaviral DNA get in our chromosomes, and what is it doing there? A search of the human genome sequence revealed DNA …

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XMRV not detected in UK chronic fatigue syndrome patients

A new retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV), first identified in tumor tissue of individuals with prostate cancer, was subsequently found in 68 of 101 US patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This observation raised the possibility that XMRV is the etiologic agent of CFS. An important question is whether XMRV is associated with …

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