Division of Basic Science and Vaccine Research

J. Roberto Trujillo, M.D., Sc.D.
Assistant Professor, UMBI
jtrujillo@ihv.umaryland.edu

Dr. J. Roberto Trujillo is currently a Director of Latin America Research in Virology and Neurosciences, Chief of the Laboratory of Neurovirology and Assistant Professor at IHV. In addition, he is an adjunct Professor in Medical Sciences at University Autonomous of Nuevo Leon.

He was the first president and founder of the Pan-American Society for Neurovirology (2000-pres). From 1989 to 2002, Dr. Trujillo was an investigator of Neurovirology and Retrovirus at Harvard University. From 2002-2005, he was an Intramural Investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, USA.

After graduating from Arts and Sciences State of Mexico College with Summa Cum Laude honors, he received his medical degree from University Autonomous of Mexico State with Summa Cum Laude honors as well. Following an internship in medicine, he spent two years as a clinical neuroscience fellow at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Dr. Trujillo was a recipient of a National Research Training Award from NIH under the direction of a Lasker Prize Winner Dr. Max Essex, at Harvard University. From 1990 to 1995 he completed his Doctor of Science degree in virology and neuroscience from Harvard University.

Dr. Trujillo's research interests include: molecular basis of neurotropism of HIV-1 in different clades, viral-immune responses in the nervous system, HIV-1-receptor interactions, opportunistic infections of AIDS including neurocysticercosis, and molecular epidemiology of HIV-1. Dr. Trujillo's work has been published in over 40 papers and reviews. Dr. Trujillo was the first to report the molecular mimicry between the HIV-1 gp120 V3 loop and human brain proteins. This work was chosen to be the highlight paper by the American Society of Microbiology. He has since shown how the HIV-1 molecular mimicry induced neuronal apoptosis.

In addition, he has shown that antibodies to gp120 in CSF serve as a marker for the progression of AIDS Dementia Complex. Dr. Trujillo, with Dr. Essex, have also shown for the first time that V3 loop positive charges of HIV-1 gp120 are critical for the HIV-1 tropism in a CD4-negative cells, including neurons, astrocytes and epithelial cells. Recently Dr. Trujillo identified that a MR-mediated pathway does not elicit a productive HIV-I infection in macrophages, microglia and astrocytes. Such insight may foster new HIV-I vaccine design and an improve understanding of HIV-I/AIDS pathogenesis.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Helena Rubinstein Award at Harvard University, the National Research NIH Training Award, the Outstanding Professor of NeuroVirology by the Pan-American Society of Neurology, the Member Professor at the Mexican Academy of Neurology, the National Co-Director of Infectious Diseases at the Mexican Academy of Neurology, the Outstanding Professional of Science, and twice received the "Distinguished Guest Honor" Award in Acapulco, Mexico. Recently, he had received a Pioneer Award in Neurovirology and a visiting Professor from Spain.

Dr. Trujillo has given numerous lectures around the world in the field of Neurovirology, specifically on NeuroAIDS. He sits on several editorial boards and has been a reviewer of several journals including "Cancer Research", "Journal of AIDS", and "Vaccine".

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