Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Christopher Hansen Rose Hills

Evaluation of a New Neutralizing Antibody Assay to Predict Dengue Virus Infection Outcome

Dengue (DENV) is a mosquito-borne viral illness that is endemic to many areas around the world, including Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and affects approximately 300 million people per year. The current gold standard in vitro assay uses cell lines such as Vero or BHK that are not natural targets for DENV and lack several important co-receptors and FcRs that modulate DENV infections. My project will test cell lines that express the major co-receptors involved in DENV infection and will develop a new, robust, high-throughput in vitro assay that will provide a better tool for studying the natural course of DENV infection and could be used for vaccine and treatment studies.

Message To Sponsor

The SURF/Rose-Hills Independent Scholarship is an excellent opportunity for students to get research experience outside of the classroom. I am very grateful for the scholarship, as it allows me to work with the highest-tier research lab alongside the best scientists from around the world. This is really a unique experience, funded by the SURF/Rose-Hills foundation, and it allows me to explore the fields of immunology and virology and direct these studies toward an honor thesis.