MOHAMMED SAIFUDDIN, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Head of Virology, CONRAD
(703) 276-3901
msaifuddin@conrad.org

As the Head of Virology, Dr. Saifuddin oversees CONRAD microbiology and virology research program. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Prior to joining CONRAD in 2002, he served on the faculty in the Department of Immunology/Microbiology at Rush University Medical School in Chicago, where he also managed a retrovirology laboratory. Dr. Saifuddin has significant experience in molecular virology including HIV research, animal models, virus and cell culture, production of new cell lines, expression of recombinant proteins, flow cytometry, PCR and other molecular biology techniques; and he has published extensively in these areas. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 1981; and Doctor of Philosophy degree in virology from Massey University, New Zealand, in 1990. Dr. Saifuddin received his postdoctoral training in molecular virology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining Rush University, where he was actively involved in HIV research and teaching. His papers first demonstrated how HIV virus hijacks cellular proteins to subvert human immune defense system. He was given a distinguished researcher certificate by the Sigma Xi Scientific Society in 1996. At CONRAD Dr. Saifuddin has been involved in identifying areas of research priority and creating and maintaining an active communication with a large network of investigators. He also participates in active solicitation and evaluation of formal and informal research proposals for funding by CONRAD. Besides reviewing proposals for CONRAD Dr. Saifuddin also reviews HIV/AIDS related grant proposals for other national and international organizations including US National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization. The current research interests of Dr. Saifuddin include;

• Development and validation of non-human primate models for sexual transmission of HIV in women.
• Development of small animal models for HIV infection.
• Effects of common sexually-transmitted infections on HIV transmission and pathogenesis.
• Preclinical evaluation of candidate microbicides against HIV and other infections.

 

 

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