Baek Kim, PhD

Professor, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine

Director, Center for Drug Discovery

Lab Website

Graduate Programs

Full Member - Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Full Member - Molecular and Systems Pharmacology

Education

PhD, University of Arizona, 1993

Contact Information

Email: baek.kim@emory.edu

Address:
Health Sciences Research Building, Room E432 1760 Haygood Drive NE Atlanta, GA 30322 2172-003-1AA

Our laboratory has been working on the molecular and cellular biology of HIV-1 replication, mutagenesis, evolution and viral escape by employing both biochemical and virological approaches. Recently, we have launched new projects designed to understand cell signal pathways that are hijacked by HIV-1 for the establishment of long-living HIV-1 macrophage reservoirs. We also focus on understanding the cellular metabolic changes made by HIV-1 infection for maintaining long-term survival of macrophage reservoirs and persistent viral production.

In addition, through the support of the New York Influenza Center of Excellence, our laboratory began exploring the mechanisms involved in the replication and mutagenesis of swine and avian influenza viruses, which contribute to viral host switch and adaptation between animals and humans. The titles of the current research subjects in the Kim laboratory are:

1) Mechanistic understanding of highly error prone HIV-1 reverse transcriptase
2) Cell type-specific HIV-1 mutagenesis and evolution
3) Long-living HIV-1 macrophage reservoirs and PI3K/Akt cell survival pathway
4) Metabolomics of HIV-1 macrophage and resting memory T cell reservoirs
5) Kinetic and mechanistic analysis of influenza virus replication machinery

Natalie Alvarez (she/her)

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Entrance Year: 2019

Topic: SAMHD1 Protein Interactions

Tony Tan

Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology

Entrance Year: 2024

Lindsey Ramirez

Molecular and Systems Pharmacology

MS, 2024

Nicole Bowen

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

PhD, 2023

"Sink or Swim: Mechanisms of dNTP Pool Elevation by Lentiviruses and Cancer"

Bijan Mahboubi

Molecular and Systems Pharmacology

PhD, 2021

"Host SAMHD1 protein restricts endogenous reverse transcription of HIV-1 in nondividing macrophages "

Si'Ana Coggins

Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology

PhD, 2020

"Host dNTPase SAMHD1, Lentiviral Accessory Protein Vpx/Vpr, and the Evolutionarily Honed Reverse Transcriptases of SAMHD1 Non-Counteracting Lentiviruses"

Russell Goetze

Molecular and Systems Pharmacology

PhD, 2017

"A dip IN the shallow end: SAMHD1 dNTPase specificity and how draining the dNTP pool limits HIV-1 gap repair."

Lydia Studdard

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

MS, 2017

Michele Daly

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

PhD, 2016

"Critical players in nucleotide metabolism, NRTI efficacy and HIV replication"

Silvia Dimitrova

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

MS, 2016

"Development of Dengue virus antivirals and inhibitor screening assay"

Gina Lenzi

Molecular and Systems Pharmacology

PhD, 2016

"The Interplay Between Reverse Transcription and SAMHD1 Degradation: Mechanistic Differences Between Reverse Transcriptases from HIV-1, HIV-2 and SIV Lentiviruses Able or Unable to Degrade SAMHD1"