Kyle L. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences, has been awarded a $453,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for her project, “Mechanisms in Viral RNA Replication Complex Assembly: Novel Targets for Antiviral Therapy.”
Johnson’s study seeks to decipher the mechanism of viral RNA replication, a key step in the reproduction of viruses and their spread to uninfected cells. She believes that a greater understanding of these mechanisms will facilitate the design of new antiviral therapies.
Johnson joined UTEP in 2004 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on the mechanism of viral RNA replication, using members of the nodavirus family that includes Nodamura virus and Flock House virus.