Dr. Feng Gao is Professor of Medicine at Duke University and leader of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI). As such, he works with DHVI vaccine teams on immunogen and vector design.  The Gao laboratory has a long-standing interest in elucidating the origins and evolution of human and simian inmmunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV), and in studying HIV/SIV gene function and pathogenic mechanisms from the evolutionary perspective. These studies have led to new strategies to better understand HIV-1 viral biology, pathogenesis and drug resistance, and to design new AIDS vaccine candidates.