Collaborations
The Rizvi lab collaborates with research organizations in the United States and Europe. Laboratory members frequently travel to the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Strasbourg, to work in the laboratory of Dr. Roland Marquet on collaborative projects.
Since its inception in 2001 at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), the Rizvi Lab has collaborated extensively with the following researchers:
Andrew Lever, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University of Cambridge, UK.
Through this collaboration, both laboratories secured funding via a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Project Grant. The partnership facilitated the exchange of students and postdoctoral fellows and resulted in numerous joint publications focused on validating the RNA secondary structure of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) packaging determinants using genetic, structural, biochemical, and phylogenetic approaches.
Roland Marquet, Director, UPR 9002 CNRS-ARN, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Strasbourg, France.
This highly productive collaboration was established in 2010 and remains ongoing. Joint efforts have led to the biochemical validation of the RNA secondary structures of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) and Mason–Pfizer monkey virus (MPMV) genomic RNA packaging sequences, as well as the identification of Gag binding sites on the genomic RNA of MMTV, MPMV, and FIV. Current studies focus on understanding how SARS-CoV-2 packages its RNA genome by investigating interactions among the nucleocapsid (N) and membrane (M) proteins and packaging signal (PS) sequences. This collaboration has produced numerous joint publications and provided key insights into retroviral genomic RNA recognition by Gag. Nearly every PhD student from the Rizvi Lab has spent several months in Dr. Marquet’s laboratory in France to conduct collaborative experiments.
Farah Mustafa, Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CMHS, UAE University.
The collaboration with Prof. Mustafa is the longest-standing and among the most productive for the Rizvi Lab. Our laboratories jointly investigate multiple aspects of retroviral and SARS-CoV-2 biology, as well as the development of novel retroviral vectors for gene delivery. We have co-authored numerous publications, co-supervised PhD students, and collaboratively written research grants.
Jaqulin P. Dudley, Professor of Oncology, Associate Director, LaMontagne Center for Infectious Disease, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
The Rizvi and Mustafa laboratories collaborated with Prof. Dudley on how the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) regulates its gene expression. This collaboration resulted in identifying a novel cis-acting element that regulates MMTV gene expression. This element is novel since it is not present in the viral LTR, a region that houses the viral promoter and transcription factor binding sites yet controls viral gene expression in a critical manner. This study resulted in a high impact publication.
Mahmoud Al Ahmad, Professor, Electrical and Communication Engineering, College of Engineering, UAE University.
The Rizvi and Mustafa laboratories established this three-way collaboration when Prof. Al Ahmad joined UAE University as an Assistant Professor, and the partnership has continued to the present day. Over the years, we have worked together to develop label-free virus detection and quantification methods based on electrical properties, extending these approaches to the detection of nucleotides, DNA, virus-infected cells, cancer cells, and blood cells in urine. More recently, we have collaborated on establishing platforms for identifying biological materials and nanoparticles, including SARS-CoV-2, using antigen–antibody interactions and portable spectrophotometry.