Maginnis Lab Mission

The Maginnis laboratory is committed to excellence in biomedical research and educational training. We aim to provide a collegial, supportive atmosphere that promotes a passion for scientific curiosity and research excellence in an environment where scientific research is fun and rewarding. We emphasize the importance of asking key scientific questions with creative, open minds to provide meaningful contributions in the fields of molecular virology and viral pathogenesis.

Our laboratory studies the host-pathogen relationship between viruses and cells to better understand cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the complexities of viral disease. In particular, we study the human JC polyomavirus, which infects the majority of the population and causes the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in the brain of immunosuppressed individuals. Our goal is to understand the basic biology of the virus and JCPyV pathogenesis in order to develop novel treatment options, which are currently very limited.