MUSMedical University of South Carolina · Pharmacology
HIV Immunology and Substance Impact Lab
Wei Jiang · Charleston, South Carolina
Research Focus
Dr. Wei Jiang's lab at the Medical University of South Carolina focuses on understanding how drug use affects the immune response in HIV-infected individuals. They study the role of specific antibodies in the immune system and how chronic drug abuse influences the recovery of immune cells after HIV treatment. Their aim is to uncover the mechanisms by which inflammation from drugs like cocaine and cannabis impact the immune system, particularly in relation to a type of antibody that can harm CD4+ T cells, which are crucial for fighting infections.
HIVdrug abuseautoantibodiesimmune reconstitutionB cellsCD4+ T cellsinflammationantibody-mediated cytotoxicity
Research Aims
4AIM 01Determine mechanisms of affinity maturation and CD4 recognition for anti-CD4 autoantibodies.
AIM 02Investigate drug use-mediated B cell perturbations and their effects on anti-CD4 autoantibody production.
AIM 03Elucidate the relationship between inflammation due to drug use and poor immune recovery in HIV-infected individuals.
AIM 04Explore the role of pathogenic autoantibodies in HIV-related immune dysfunction.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemonoclonal antibody isolationWestern blotflow cytometrysurface plasmon resonancemolecular biology techniquesbioinformaticscryoelectron microscopyin vitro assaysanimal models
Output against the department
Publications816top 3% of dept.16th of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations19ktop 19% of dept.89th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.