The full text of the book Retroviruses (edited by John M. Coffin, Stephen H. Hughes, and Harold E. Varmus, 1997, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press) is now available online at the National Center for Biotechnology Information website. Figures, tables, and retrotrivia features from the book are also available at this website. (Permission to depict the book's cover here was kindly granted by the publisher.)

Virology Core

Under the direction of Dr. Mary Kearney, the DRP-dedicated Virology Core is conducting analyses of HIV samples from clinical and basic studies on HIV, which will provide new and important information on viral dynamics, genetics, and evolution both in vitro and in vivo. Dr. Kearney is working closely with Dr. Frank Maldarelli in the Clinical Program, in consultation with Dr. John Coffin of Tufts University and Dr. John Mellors of the University of Pittsburgh, to develop methods for obtaining very large numbers of sequences from virus circulating in plasma and for measuring virus load with much greater sensitivity than can be reliably attained with currently available tests. As part of this work, the Virology Core is using a range of techniques such as limiting-dilution polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allele-specific PCR, site-directed mutagenesis, and viral load monitoring.

NCI-Frederick Resources

In addition to the DRP-dedicated Virology Core, the research support capabilities that are available on the NCI-Frederick campus provide the DRP with a large variety of resources, including

• computational facilities to support viral genotyping and molecular, population, and genetic modeling studies

• high-throughput gene discovery and analysis capabilities

• protein analysis and microsequencing

• animal model facilities and technical services

• scientific library services