Jesse J. Kwiek

kwiek.2@osu.edu

B.A., Biochemistry, University of Rochester
Ph.D., Pharmacology, University of Virginia
Postdoc, Epidemiology & Virology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases; Microbiology
Member, Center for Microbial Interface Biology
Member, Center for Retrovirus Research
Member, Comprehensive Cancer Center

RESEARCH FOCUS: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY IN THE SERVICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Prevention of HIV-1 mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) has been successfully implemented in the developed world, where the annual incidence of MTCT has been reduced to less than 2%; for example, in 2005, the USA reported 86 cases of perinatally acquired HIV (Ref.). However, in the developing world, HIV-1 MTCT remains a serious public health problem, with approximately 530,000 children newly HIV-1 infected in 2006 (http://www.unaids.org/). Approximately 20% of all MTCT occurs in utero, and although many countries are scaling up programs to provide single-dose nevirapine prophylaxis (http://www.globalfundatm.org/ ), this treatment will not reduce in utero MTCT.

The Kwiek lab seeks to better understand the molecular biology and epidemiology of in utero HIV-1 MTCT. This will be accomplished, in collaboration with colleagues at both The Ohio State University and The Malawi College of Medicine, by addressing the following questions:

1. Are specific HIV-1 envelope genotypes or phenotypes associated with HIV-1 MTCT?

2. Does the placenta represent a unique HIV-1 compartment?

3. Where does HIV-1 localize in the placenta?

4. Do transmitted HIV-1 envelope genes have enhanced tropism against primary placental trophoblasts?

Kwiek, J.J., Mwapasa, V., Muula, A.S., Misiri, H., Alker, A.P., Molyneux, M.E., Rogerson, S.J., Meshnick, S.R. 2008. HIV and Syphilis Infections Among Pregnant Women in Blantyre, Malawi. Malawi Medical Journal, 3: 80-85.

Kwiek, J.J., Arney, L.A., Pederson, B., Hararwa, V., Mwapasa, V., and Meshnick, S.R. 2008. Detection of Placental Microtransfusions during HIV-1 Mother-to-Child Transmission. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 197(10):1378-81.

Kwiek, J.J., Russell, E.S., Dang, K.K., Burch, C.L., Meshnick, S. R, Mwapasa, V., Swanstrom, R. 2008. The Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 Envelope Diversity During HIV-1 Subtype C Vertical Transmission in Malawian Mother-Infant Pairs. AIDS, 22:863-71.

Juliano, J., Kwiek, J.J., Mwapasa, V., Meshnick, S.R. 2007. Development of a Multiple-Site Specific Heteroduplex Tracking Assay that can Detect Low Prevalence pfcrt K76T Mutations. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 13(6):872-7.

Kwiek, J.J., Alker, A.P., Kalilani, L., Wenink, E.C., Chaponda, M., E., Meshnick, S. R. 2007. Estimating True Antimalarial Efficacy by Heteroduplex Tracking Assay in Patients with Complex Plasmodium falciparum Infections. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 51(2):521-7.

Mwapasa, V., Rogerson, S.J., Kwiek, J.J., Molyneux, M.E., Kamwendo, D.D., Tadesse, E., Chaluluka, E., Wilson, P.E., Meshnick, S.R.2006. Is Maternal Syphilis Infection a Risk Factor for HIV Mother-to-Child Transmission? AIDS, 20:1869-77.

Kwiek J.J., Mwapasa V., Milner, D., Alker, A., Miller, W., Ou, C.Y., Tadesse, E., Molyneux, M.E., Rogerson, S.J., Meshnick, S.R. 2006. Maternal-fetal Microtransfusions and HIV-1 Mother-to-Child Transmission in Malawi. PLoS-Medicine, 3(1):e10.

Ngrenngarmlert, W., Kwiek, J.J., Kamwendo, D.D., Ritola, K., Swanstrom, R., Wongsrichanalai, C., Ittarat, W., Miller, R.S., and Meshnick, S.R. 2005. Measuring Allelic Heterogeneity in Plasmodium falciparum by Heteroduplex Tracking Assay. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 72: 694-701.

Kwiek J.J., Haystead, T.A., Rudolf, J. 2004. The Kinetic Mechanism of Quinone-Oxidoreductase 2 and its Inhibition by the Anti-Malarial Quinolines. Biochemistry, 43 (15): 4538-4547.

Graves P.R., Kwiek J.J., Fadden P., Ray, R., Hardeman, K., Coley, A. M., Foley, M., Haystead, T. A. 2002. Discovery of Novel Targets of Quinoline Drugs in the Human Purine Binding Proteome. Mol Pharmacol, 62:1364-1372.