UW Medicine Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Directory >> Robert W. Coombs , MD, PhD

Faculty

Robert W. Coombs , MD, PhD

  • Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Medicine
  • University of Washington

The focus of Dr. Coombs' research activity is on the pathogenesis of HIV-1 and the quantification of viral load in the setting of therapeutic clinical trials involving both adult (Dr. Ann Collier, ACTG Network) and pediatric (Dr. Lisa Frenkel, IMPAACT Network) HIV-1 infected subjects. Of particular interest is validation of HIV-1 DNA and unintegrated episomal 2-LTR viral DNA as markers of infectivity when viral RNA levels are suppressed in the plasma with effective antiretroviral therapy.

Through collaborations with Dr. John Krieger (Department of Urology) and other investigators at the UW, a research program has been established to elucidate the shedding of HIV-1 in the male and female genital tracts and the regulation of HIV-1 shedding by genital tract inflammation (Drs. Jane Hitti, Michael Boeckh and Connie Celum).

Selected Publications


Mitchell C, Hitti J, Paul K, Agnew K, Cohn SE, Luque AE, Coombs RW. Cervicovaginal Shedding of HIV Type 1 is Related to Genital Tract Inflammation Independent of Changes in Vaginal Microbiota. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses; 2011; 27(1):35-39. doi:10.1089/aid.2010.0129.
[The following link will open in a new window. PubMed Abstract ]


Graham SM, Krieger JN, Githua PLM, Wamuyu LW, Wale S, Ramko KM, Dragavon JA, Muller CH, Holte SE, Mandaliya KN, McClelland RS, Peshu NM, Sanders EJ, Coombs RW. Post-prostatic massage fluid/urine as an alternative to semen for studying male genitourinary HIV-1 shedding. Sex Transm Infect; 2011. Apr;87(3):232-7. doi:10.1136/sti.2010.047118. PMID: 21278399.
[ The following link will open in a new window. PubMed Abstract ]


Baeten J, Kahle E, Lingappa JR, Coombs RW, Delany-Moretlwe S, Nakku-Joloba E, Mugo NR, Wald A, Corey L, Donnell D, Campbell MS, Mullins JI, Celum C. Genital HIV-1 RNA Predicts Risk of Heterosexual HIV-1 Transmission. Science Translational Medicine. 2011 Apr 6;3(77):77ra29. PMID: 21471433.
[ The following link will open in a new window. PubMed Abstract ]


Gandhi RT, Coombs RW, Chan ES, Bosch RJ, ZhengL, Margolis DM, Read S, Kallungal B, Chang M, Goecker EA, Wiegand A, Kearney M, Jacobson JM, D'aquila R, Lederman MM, Mellors JW, Eron JJ; for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) A5244 team. No Effect of Raltegravir Intensification on Viral Replication Markers in the Blood of HIV-1-infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2011 Nov 11. (Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 22083073.
[The following link will open in a new window. PubMed Abstract ]

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