Cytomegalovirus can harm those with weakened immune systems

A lab at Upstate is studying a common virus that lies dormant in most people but can cause severe problems in transplant patients and other immunocompromised people. Gary Chan, PhD, discusses the CMV, or cytomegalovirus, and how his lab team seeks treatments to protect vulnerable patients. The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases recently awarded more than $3 million to Chan, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology, to study the virus, which is carried by about 80% of people around the world.

“The Informed Patient” is a podcast that covers health, science and medicine, featuring experts from Central New York’s only academic medical center. Upstate Medical University has four colleges (Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions and Graduate Studies); a robust research enterprise; and an extensive clinical health care system that extends way beyond Syracuse.