Michael A. Belshan, is associated with Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Creighton University, USA. His fundamental research interest is virus-host cell interactions, specifically related to the replication and pathogenesis of a subgroup (subfamily) of retroviruses known as lentiviruses. His international experience includes various programs, contributions and participation in different countries for diverse fields of study.

My fundamental research interest is virus-host cell interactions, specifically related to the replication and pathogenesis of a subgroup (subfamily) of retroviruses known as lentiviruses. Members of this subfamily include the human and simian (monkey) immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV, respectively). Our goal is to better understand not only how these viruses reproduce (replicate) and cause disease, but also how host cell interactions contribute to this process. Our current research focuses on characterizing events that occur very early in virus infection. We use proteomic and cell biology approaches to obtain results that provide insights not only into mechanisms of virus replication and pathogenesis, but also the biology of cellular pathways. Projects include: 1) The isolation and mass spectrometry analysis of HIV protein complexes; 2) The characterization of the role of novel host proteins in HIV replication; 3) study of the nuclear import of HIV preintegration complexes; and 4) the evaluation of inhibitors of HIV infection.