Welcome to Rizvi’s lab @
College of Medicine & Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University
Research Interests
Detection, quantification, and identification of viruses and other biological materials based on electrical parameters
Most of the existing techniques for viral screening and quantification suffer from limitations due to the need for extensive sample preparation and labeling, which is fairly costly, requiring a great deal of time
Structural basis of retroviral gRNA export, dimerization, and packaging
The overall goal of these research efforts has been to gain a better understanding of gRNA export, dimerization, and packaging mechanisms and their interplay during retroviral replication.
Molecular mechanism(s) of SARS-CoV-2 gRNA packaging and SARS-CoV-2-host interactions
SARS-CoV-2 causes the current COVID-19 pandemic against which there are no approved drugs and the recently produced vaccines are facing challenges of waning immunity and reduced effectiveness against the emerging variants.
Development of retroviral vectors for human gene therapy
One practical application of studying retroviral replication has been the development of retroviral vectors for human gene therapy.
Vaccine/antiviral strategies against HIV/AIDS
These strategies have used either the more novel DNA-based approach, in collaboration with Prof. H. L. Robinson (Emory University), the guru of DNA vaccines, or
About
In 2001, Prof. Rizvi established his laboratory at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), United Arab Emirates (UAE) University. Over the years, his laboratory has trained over a dozen young scientists, and has produced more than 100 research publications. Prof. Rizvi’s research group mainly focuses on investigating the following:
- Structural basis of retroviral RNA nuclear export, dimerization, and packaging.
- Protein expression, purification, RNA-protein interactions, and in vitro virus particle assembly.
- Role of retroviral Gag, Gag-pol, Gag-pro, and Gag-pro-pol proteins in gRNA for packaging.
- Regulation of retroviral gene expression, replication, and development of retroviral vectors for gene therapy.
- Molecular mechanism(s) of SARS-CoV-2 gRNA packaging and SARS-CoV-2-host interactions.
Tahir A Rizvi
Prof. Tahir A. Rizvi is a Full Professor at UAE University. He is the primary investigator in the laboratory and his research focuses on retroviral replication and RNA packaging to develop improved gene therapy vectors and novel viral detection technologies.
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.
Alumni
Young scientists and researchers who received training in this laboratory are now working at esteemed institutions across the globe, thanks to the hard work and devotion of the laboratory members that has garnered recognition both nationally and internationally.