Michael Lagunoff

Michael Lagunoff is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms linking viral infections to cancer, particularly Kaposi’s Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) and its role in oncogenesis. He is actively accepting graduate students for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

• University of Washington, Department of Microbiology

Education:

• B.S. in Chemistry from Oberlin College
• Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Chicago
• Postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco

Research Interests: Lagunoff’s lab investigates how KSHV alters host cell metabolism (e.g., Warburg effect, fatty acid synthesis, glutaminolysis), promotes proliferation past senescence via viral cyclins, and exploits mitochondrial pathways for survival. His work bridges virology, oncology, and cellular metabolism.

Article Trends: His recent studies emphasize CRISPR-Cas9 screens for host dependencies, mitochondrial respiration in KSHV latency, and metabolic reprogramming in viral oncogenesis. Collaborative efforts span virology, systems biology, and cancer metabolism.

Advising: Lagunoff mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in virology and cancer research, including J.C. Alexander and Blake Dodson. Lab members also include senior scientists and undergraduates.

Labs and Teams: The Lagunoff Lab explores virus-host interactions, with a focus on KSHV and endothelial cell transformation. Collaborative publications highlight global research networks in virology and oncogenesis.