Albert Einstein College of Medicine

About

This new proteomics center will use powerful mass spectrometers to identify the brain proteins responsible for neurological complications in people infected with HIV—particularly those who are also addicted to drugs. Proteomics is the branch of molecular biology that studies the set of proteins expressed by the genes of an organism. HIV's neurological complications (commonly referred to as neuro-AIDS) primarily stem from toxic proteins produced by immune cells called monocytes, which recruit HIV into the central nervous system. Neuro-AIDS can lead to AIDS dementia complex, HIV-related encephalitis, and fungal and parasitic infections.