The candidate is a veterinarian with training in laboratory animal medicine, clinical and basic research laboratory animal medicine in 1990. His long term objectives are to develop fully as an independent investigator and to pursue a career in academic laboratory animal medicine. He will accomplish these goals by achieving the following specific aims. 1. Development of skills necessary for the study of viral proteins and their role in pathogenesis and immunity. 2. Development of skills in molecular biology necessary for the study of genetic material of viruses. 3. Acquisition of expertise in clinical virology: isolation and diagnosis. 4. Utilization of this expertise to begin evaluation of Alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AHV-1) as an animal model for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Dr. Adams will address these aims in three phases. Work on aims 1 and 2 will be conducted in the first phase under the sponsorship of Dr. Lindsey Hutt-Fletcher in the Department of Comparative and Experimental Pathology at the University of Flordia (80% effort). Dr. Hutt-Fletcher maintains a laboratory devoted to study of the molecular biology and immunopathogenesis of EBV and related herpesviruses. The candidate will also be associated with a strong academic laboratory animal medicine training program (20% effort) directed by Dr. Alvin F. Moreland. In the second phase (year 3) work will continue on aim 2 and will include work on specific aim 3. It will be done at Zoological Society of San Diego in the laboratory of Dr. Werner Heuschele, a world renowned authority on AHV-1. Dr. Adams will then return to the University of Florida and in the third and final phase of the award (years 4 and 5) will conduct independent studies to evaluate AHV-1 as an animal model for EBV infection. He will have an academic appointment in an environment which fosters collaborative interactions between investigators in veterinary and human medicine: his colleagues will be members of a faculty that is well supported byfunds from NIH and other sources. The expectation is that at the completion of this proposed training program Dr. Adams will have established himself as a competitive, independent investigator, well placed to pursue an academic career at the forefront of laboratory animal science.
