Rosemary Rochford, PhD

Current Appointments

• Vice President for Research of Research Administration
• Vice President for Research

Hospital Campus

• Downtown

Education & Fellowships

• PhD: University of California at Irvine, 1989

Publications

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Research Abstract

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with a number of malignancies including endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma (eBL), the most common childhood cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. The current research in my laboratory is directed towards three main areas of investigation. First, we have established a field research project based in Kisumu, Kenya to understand the how the interaction of co-factors including holoendemic malaria in the context of early primary infection with EBV lead to the emergence of eBL. Second, we are utilizing infection of mice with the murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) to examine early events in gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis as well as to model virus-parasite interactions. Finally, we are developing mechanism-based therapies for the treatment of BL and other AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas that address the unique needs in resource-poor settings using a preclincal model. In this preclinical model, SCID mice are engrafted with BL lines that have been in short-term culture and tagged with luciferase. We are using bioluminescent imaging to monitor tumor growth and response to treatment and to determine whether targeting of angiogenesis by adopting a metronomic schedule of therapy can induce remission and reduce toxicity.