{"id":3,"date":"2011-11-02T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-03T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/med.sites.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/dittmerlab\/"},"modified":"2021-07-22T16:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T20:20:00","slug":"dittmerlab","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to the Dittmer Lab!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-300x300.png\" alt=\"logo\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-768x769.png 768w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-600x600.png 600w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-512x512.png 512w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo-64x64.png 64w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2018\/03\/logo.png 1392w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/>Current estimates suggest that 20% of all human cancers have viral origin or require viral infection as an essential cofactor. Our research seeks to understand viral tumorigenesis, specifically cancers caused by Kaposi&#8217;s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV\/HHV-8). KSHV is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Rhadinovirus family of human herpesviruses. It was discovered in 1994 and is associated with Kaposi&#8217;s sarcoma (KS) as well as B-cell cancers like primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman&#8217;s disease (MCD). These diseases affect internal organs and are ultimately fatal; they are usually seen in the U.S. among immunosuppressed individuals like HIV-positive individuals and transplant patients.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-9 col-md-9 col-xs-12 col-sm-12 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<h2>Latest News<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"media alt-media\">\n        \n                            <li class=\"media-listitem\">\n                                        <div class=\"media-body\">\n                        <div class=\"caption\">\n                            <h4 class=\"media-heading\" data-shouldbe=\"h4\">                                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/kaposi-sarcoma-remains-common-in-persons-living-with-hiv\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Kaposi Sarcoma remains common in persons living with HIV\">\n                                    Kaposi Sarcoma remains common in persons living with HIV<\/a>\n                                <\/h4>                            <p>Making the point in response to a recent article in AIDS showing that &#8220;Black patients had higher mortality than white or Hispanic patients (hazard ratio 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.12\u20133.82), even after adjusting for covariates. This mortality difference correlates with higher rates of advanced Kaposi&#8216;s sarcoma disease and KS-IRIS in black patients compared with other &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/kaposi-sarcoma-remains-common-in-persons-living-with-hiv\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Kaposi Sarcoma remains common in persons living with HIV\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/li>\n                                \n                            <li class=\"media-listitem\">\n                                        <div class=\"media-body\">\n                        <div class=\"caption\">\n                            <h4 class=\"media-heading\" data-shouldbe=\"h4\">                                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/unc-research-program-studies-covid-19-variants\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"ºÚÁÏÍø research program studies COVID-19 variants\">\n                                    ºÚÁÏÍø research program studies COVID-19 variants<\/a>\n                                <\/h4>                            <p>While a COVID PCR test indicates whether or not there is genetic viral material in an individual sample, the technique does not reveal the specific variant of coronavirus that made a person sick. &nbsp;<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/li>\n                                \n                            <li class=\"media-listitem\">\n                                        <div class=\"media-body\">\n                        <div class=\"caption\">\n                            <h4 class=\"media-heading\" data-shouldbe=\"h4\">                                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/its-day-6-of-covid-and-a-rapid-antigen-test-comes-back-positive-stay-home-say-virologists\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"It\u2019s Day 6 of Covid, and a Rapid Antigen Test Comes Back Positive. Stay Home, Say Virologists.\">\n                                    It\u2019s Day 6 of Covid, and a Rapid Antigen Test Comes Back Positive. Stay Home, Say Virologists.<\/a>\n                                <\/h4>                            <p>http:\/\/: https:\/\/khn.org\/news\/article\/rapid-antigen-test-isolation-guidance\/<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/li>\n                                \n                            <li class=\"media-listitem\">\n                                        <div class=\"media-body\">\n                        <div class=\"caption\">\n                            <h4 class=\"media-heading\" data-shouldbe=\"h4\">                                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/how-worried-do-you-need-to-be-about-the-ba-2-coronavirus-variant\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"How worried do you need to be about the BA.2 coronavirus variant?\">\n                                    How worried do you need to be about the BA.2 coronavirus variant?<\/a>\n                                <\/h4>                            <p>https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/health\/ba2-coronavirus-variant-rcna14367<\/p>\n                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n                <\/li>\n                                <\/ul>\n    \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/news\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-3 col-md-3 col-xs-12 col-sm-12 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<h2>About the Lab<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1017 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146-681x1024.jpg 681w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146-768x1155.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146-600x902.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2020\/07\/quarantineDay1-1012087-1144-1145-1146.jpg 957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Click <a title=\"\" href=\"\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/about-us\/about-us\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a> to read more about the research interests, goals and methods of the Dittmer Lab.<\/p>\n<p>A <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/sites\/entrez?dispmax=20&amp;db=pubmed&amp;pmfilter_EDatLimit=added%20to%20PubMed%20in%20the%20last%200%20i&amp;cmd_current=Limits&amp;orig_db=PubMed&amp;cmd=Search&amp;term=dittmer%20d&amp;doptcmdl=DocSum\" rel=\"self\">list of publications<\/a> is available on PubMed or go to <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff\" title=\"Publications\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/publications\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"self noopener noreferrer\">Publications<\/a> for complete downloadable .pdf files.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1084\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 245px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1084\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"Timeline\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-802x1024.jpg 802w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-768x980.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-1204x1536.jpg 1204w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-1605x2048.jpg 1605w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-600x766.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/606\/2021\/07\/DittmerLabTimeline20210722-scaled.jpg 2006w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">The lab over the years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Current estimates suggest that 20% of all human cancers have viral origin or require viral infection as an essential cofactor. Our research seeks to understand viral tumorigenesis, specifically cancers caused by Kaposi&#8217;s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV\/HHV-8). KSHV is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Rhadinovirus family of human herpesviruses. It was discovered in 1994 and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/how-worried-do-you-need-to-be-about-the-ba-2-coronavirus-variant\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How worried do you need to be about the BA.2 coronavirus variant?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1920,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/front-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-3","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1086,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3\/revisions\/1086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/microimm\/dittmerlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}