Nancy Raab-Traub, PhD
Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Areas of Interest
Epstein-Barr Virus in cancer with special focus on nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinoma
About
Dr Raab-Traub studies the role of the Epstein-Barr Virus in cancer with a special focus on nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinoma. Her previous studies discovered a family of highly spliced RNAs that had not been identified in transformed lymphocytes. She determined that these RNAs were the template for 44 miRNA within the introns. She went on to show that the spliced forms remained in the nucleus and function as long non coding RNAs. She has now determined that during the growth of EBV infected cell lines as tumors in SCID mice, only these RNAS are expressed. Additionally, these RNAS have transforming abilities in cultured cells. Future studies will focus on these properties. Additionally, she has shown that EBV-infected cells produce exosomes that transfer viral proteins and RNAS. She is interested in determining how these exosomes influence HPV infected cells.
Awards and HonorsÂ
- Norma Berryhill Distinguished Lecture, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2022
- National Cancer Advisory Board