Bruce W. Banfield

Area of research

Epidemiology · Genetics

Research interest

Faculty Bio Education and Training: B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of British Columbia, 1984-1988 Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 1988-1994 Post-Doctoral Fellow, Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 1994-1996 Visiting Research Fellow, Molecular Biology, Princeton University, 1996-1999 Academic Appointments: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 1999 Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 2006 Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Queen's University, 2007 Professor, Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, 2013 Active Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Project Grant, "Early stages in the morphogenesis of herpes simplex virus" Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada, Discovery Grant, "Remodeling of the nuclear membrane during herpesvirus assembly" Research Interests Viruses are selective and efficient nucleic acid delivery devices that serve as excellent tools for studying complex macromolecular assemblies as well as core cellular functions. The order Herpesvirales is a very large group of viruses that infect animals ranging from oysters to elephants. The model herpesvirus studied in the Banfield laboratory is the important human pathogen, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), a large virus encoding 74 distinct proteins. HSV-2 virions are complex machines containing almost 100 different proteins. Approximately half of these structural proteins are encoded by the viral genome and the other half are of cellular origin. All herpes virions share a layered structure: a linear double-stranded DNA genome encased by an icosahedral nucleocapsid, which is surrounded by a lipid envelope embedded with glycoproteins. Between the nucleocapsid and the envelope lies a proteinaceous layer called the tegument. During infection, the virio