Boston College · BiologyCenter for HIV Persistence Research
Kenneth C Williams · Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Kenneth C. Williams' lab at Boston College focuses on understanding how HIV and SIV can persist in the brain despite effective treatment. The research investigates specific immune cells in the brain called perivascular macrophages, which may serve as reservoirs for these viruses. By studying how these cells migrate out of the brain and contribute to viral rebound after treatment stops, the lab aims to develop new strategies for eradicating these persistent infections.
HIVSIVCNS macrophagesviral reservoirsantiretroviral therapyCSF1R blockadesuperparamagnetic nanoparticlesmacrophage traffickingviral reboundCNS-peripheral migration
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate the role of CSF1R blockade in eliminating SIV from the brain while on ART.
AIM 02Assess the ability of CSF1R blockade to prevent SIV from re-seeding peripheral tissues after ART interruption.
AIM 03Determine how PVMs in the CNS contribute to the viral reservoir during and after ART.
Skills the Lab Values
animal modelsCNS injection techniquesmacrophage isolationimmunohistochemistryRNA sequencingin vivo imagingflow cytometryWestern blot analysiscell cultureexperimental design
Output against the department
Publications148top 46% of dept.474th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations9.6ktop 40% of dept.414th of 1,033
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.