Luwanika Mlera

Assistant Research Scientist

Luwanika received a PhD in Biochemistry from the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. His postdoctoral fellowship  at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (NIH) in Hamilton Montana involved studying various aspects of tick-borne flavvirus biology. Luwanika is interested in persistent viral infections, and his current work is focused on understanding molecular human cytomegalovirus-host interactions that determine viral latency and/or reactivation. When not in the lab, Luwanika enjoys off-road cycling, fishing, walking and observing nature.

Recent Publications

2020

Mlera, L., M. Moy, K. Maness, L. N. Tran, and F. D. Goodrum, "The Role of the Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Locus in Latency and Reactivation.", Viruses, vol. 12, issue 7, 2020 07 01. PMCID: PMC7411667  PMID: 32630219
Chaturvedi, S., J. Klein, N. Vardi, C. Bolovan-Fritts, M. Wolf, K. Du, L. Mlera, M. Calvert, N. J. Moorman, F. Goodrum, et al., "A molecular mechanism for probabilistic bet hedging and its role in viral latency.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 117, issue 29, pp. 17240-17248, 2020 07 21. PMCID: PMC7382263  PMID: 32632017