Priti Kumar

Dr. Priti Kumar is an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale University School of Medicine. She serves as Director of Graduate Admissions for the BBS Microbiology Track and Director of the Yale Predoctoral Training Program in Virology. Dr. Kumar is also a Chartered Member of the NIH NIAID Study Section on AIDS Discovery And Development Of Therapeutics.

Dr. Kumar received her PhD in Immunology from the Indian Institute of Science in 2002, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. She joined Yale University as an Assistant Professor in 2008 and has been advancing innovative research in virology and gene therapy for over 15 years.

Her laboratory conducts translational research focused on developing gene therapy and cure-based approaches for RNA viruses including HIV-1, West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, dengue, and SARS-CoV-2. Key research areas include:

• Overcoming in vivo biological barriers for therapeutic delivery
• Development of nucleic acid delivery platforms (siRNA, CRISPRs)
• Humanized mouse models for HIV research
• Live-imaging of viral pathogenesis
• Transvascular delivery of therapeutics to the CNS

Analysis of Dr. Kumar's recent publications (2022-2025) reveals a strong focus on HIV therapeutics, SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and treatment development, and innovative approaches to nucleic acid delivery. Her work spans virology, immunology, and translational medicine, with frequent collaborations across Yale departments.

As Director of graduate training programs, Dr. Kumar plays a significant role in mentoring the next generation of virologists and immunologists. Her laboratory within the Yale Virology Laboratories provides students with opportunities to work on cutting-edge translational research that bridges basic science and therapeutic development.

Dr. Kumar's research has resulted in numerous high-impact publications in journals including Nature, Cell Host and Microbe, PNAS, and Science, demonstrating her significant contributions to the fields of virology and gene therapy.