Nuclear transport is central to processes such as signal transduction, oncogenesis and differentiation, where changes in transcription within the nucleus are effected by transcription factors which access the nucleus through the cellular nuclear transport system. This is also critical in viral infection, where viruses hijack host transport mechanisms to effect nuclear targeting of critical viral proteins, as well as to prevent the host anti-viral response.
Our work focusses on cancer and viruses of medical significance such as Dengue, to define the role of nuclear transport in disease, and how this can be exploited for therapeutic intervention through novel antiviral/anti-cancer agents.