Adam Geballe

Adam Geballe is a Professor and Associate Director of the Human Biology Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch), with concurrent appointments in the Clinical Research Division and as a Member of the Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Research Center. He additionally serves as Professor in the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Adjunct Professor in Microbiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Education:

• Duke University, MD, 1978

Dr. Geballe's research centers on evolutionary conflicts between large DNA viruses (particularly cytomegalovirus and other herpesviruses) and host antiviral defenses. His lab discovered viral proteins that counteract host defense systems like protein kinase R (PKR) and MxB, driving an evolutionary "arms race" where both host and virus rapidly adapt. Current work examines cross-species transmission barriers, epigenetic regulation of viral latency, and translational control mechanisms in viral gene expression.

The Geballe Lab employs virology, evolutionary genetics, and computational modeling to understand viral pathogenesis, with long-term goals of developing novel antiviral strategies targeting viral antagonists of host immunity.