Research:

Keywords: Chronic viral infections, Myeloid cells, monocytes, Macrophages, sex-based differences, HIV, SIV, reservoir, central nervous system

Research Activities

Dr. Veenhuis’ work focuses on understanding how the immune system regulates chronic viral infections and in turn how these diseases can regulate the immune response.

Summary of Research Program

Dr. Veenhuis’ research interests include understanding how the immune system regulates chronic viral infections and in turn how these diseases can regulate the immune response. Her areas of specific focus include understanding inflammasome activation in the CNS during HIV infection, in the context of drugs of abuse and Antiretroviral (ART) therapy, as well as elucidating the role myeloid reservoirs play in ART treated HIV infection. Dr. Veenhuis uses a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) macaque model of HIV as well as primary patient samples to complete her research. She has recently received support from National Institutes of Mental Health to study sex-based differences in the myeloid reservoirs of people with HIV and SIV-infected ART-suppressed macaques. The overall goal of Dr. Veenhuis’ work has been to use HIV and SIV as models to understand basic immunology concepts that may be applicable to infectious disease as a whole.

Publications and Interests: https://jhu.pure.elsevier.com/en/persons/rebecca-terilli-veenhuis