Virology: Research and Treatment

Dr. Wen-Zhe Ho MD, MPH, is a Tenure Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine and a Research Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  Dr. Ho received his medical, research and public health training at the Wuhan University School of Medicine in China and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  Since 1993 he served on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine until joining the Temple University School of Medicine in September, 2009.  Dr Ho also serves as a Visiting Professor at the Wuhan University School of Medicine and the Tongji Medical School of Huazhong Science and Technology University, Wuhan, China.  In addition to his role as Editor in Chief of Virology: Research and Treatment.  He also severs as a member of editorial board of J. NeuroVirology, J. Neuroimmune Pharmacology, Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, and Chinese J. Pediatrics (international Edition).

Dr Ho is a viral immunologist with a research interest in how the body protects itself against viral infections, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV).  Dr. Ho’s laboratory is using multidisciplinary approaches to understand virus-host interactions and the basic mechanisms that control virus replication and strategies for enhancing the innate immunity against viral infections, particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV, a major etiology of liver disease).  Working closely with drug abusing populations in the regions of Philadelphia and China, the Ho laboratory is also investigating whether drugs of abuse such as heroin and methamphetamine have a cofactor role in promoting HIV and/or HCV diseases.  The work in the Ho laboratory is focused on virus-host interactions that govern innate immune response and viral replication within a target cell.  One question that is interesting to the Ho laboratory is how HIV /HCV escape from host defense mechanisms, resulting chronic diseases.  Current projects in the Ho laboratory are as follows: 1. To determine whether host innate immune pathways (such as toll-like receptor, -mediated recognition of viral infections) are critical in control of viral replication and protection of host cells (human immune, hepatocytes and neurons); 2. To study whether drugs of abuse (opioids and METH) and/or HIV impair the innate immunity in human neurons and compromise the efficacy of HIV treatment (HAART); 3. To determine the specific effects of opioids such as heroin and morphine on type 1 IFN-mediated intracellular immunity that control HIV or HCV infection and replication; 4. To determine the role of antiviral cellular factors and mechanisms involved in the protection of the CNS cells from infection/injury caused by viruses or virus-mediated products.  These studies shall contribute to our basic understanding of host innate immune processes against HIV and/or HCV replication in the target cells, and provide crucial information for the design and development of innate immunity-based treatment for patients infected with HIV and/or HCV.

Dr. Ho’s research work has produced over 100 peer-reviewed articles and 16 editorials, reviews and chapters.  Some of his publications appear in the highly regarded journals including PNAS, Blood, Hepatology, J. Virology, J. Immunology, J. Infect Dis., and American J. Pathol.

The Role of the Editor in Chief

The editor in chief is responsible for editorial decision-making on papers submitted to the journal.  The editor in chief is also responsible for editorial matters that include but are not limited to journal supplements, the journal's aims and scope, the editorial board and volunteer peer reviewer pool, editorial assessment of video abstracts, assignment to published papers of endorsements, and for consulting on pre-submission inquiries from authors.