Surendranath Baliji, Ph.D.

• Ph.D. Cell & Molecular Biology,  University of Texas San Antonio,  2006 
   

• Joined lab: January  2007
   

• My project involves investigating the replication of murine coronavirus, human coronavirus NL-63 and SARS coronavirus that involves bioinformatic analysis in collaboration with Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and laboratory research using coronavirus reverse genetics system to test the bioinformatic predictions. 
  
   

• SBaliji@lumc.edu

Bridget  Banach

• B.S., Biochemistry, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL
   

• Joined lab: June 2006 (MD/PhD Program)
   

• Project: Detecting human respiratory pathogens using bronchial epithelial cell cultures 
   

• BBanach@lumc.edu

Mark Clementz 

• B.S., Biology, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL
   

• Joined lab: June 2006
   

• Project: Characterizing replicase mutants of murine coronavirus.
   

• MClementz@lumc.edu

Daniel Brian Nichols, Ph.D.

• Ph.D., Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2008
   

• Joined lab: Jan 2009 
    

• SARS-Coronaviruses (SARS-CoV) possesses two proteases that cleave large viral polyproteins into shorter units. Given that these proteases are essential for SARS-CoV replication, they provide ideal targets for drugs designed to impair viral replication. My project is to test various drugs that inhibit SARS-CoV proteolytic function. Additionally, I am interested in determining the mechanism(s) of drug resistance that arises during treatment with these anti-proteolytic drugs.
  
   

• danichols@lumc.edu

Nuzhath Tajuddin 

• MS in Biology,  Illinois Institute of Technology
   

• Joined lab: Oct  2008
   

• Using Human Airway Epithelial cells to evaluate pathogenesis of Kawasaki Disease.
   

• ntajudd@lumc.edu